


Alien Rescue, Second Draft

by CeeCee33



Category: Clans of Kalquor - Tracy St. John
Genre: Aliens, Clans, Erotic, Kalquor, Light BDSM, Multi, Multiple Partners, Romance, Science Fiction, Tracy St. John
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:37:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 140,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22088293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeeCee33/pseuds/CeeCee33
Summary: A bright young woman named Susannah Talcott has been living underground on war-torn Earth, protecting and processing a secret store of many of the arts, information, and even plant life of Earth, hoping that someday the madness aboveground will end and the treasures of Earth can be brought out once more. When nuclear blasts put an end to the war between Earth and the Kalquorian Empire, they destroy nearly 3/4s of life on Earth. Kalquor, a planet/race that faces extinction due to a lack of females, rushes to provide help and to set up rescue and evacuation centers on the imperiled Earth. When a 3-man rescue mission team discover Susannah's underground storehouse, they are determined to get her out and get her off the planet. Susannah has other plans. While they are trying to convince her to leave, a rockfall traps all four of them in the vast storehouse, where they begin to fall in love. But when the time comes for rescue, will Susannah stay or go with the fascinating aliens who have changed her life forever?
Relationships: Foursome MMM/F, Some light BDSM - Relationship, m/f - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this final iteration, Alien Rescue is offered in its final form, by chapters. You can choose to read the first draft that is here in the Archive, but it is not the complete novel.   
I thank everyone who has written so many wonderful responses, apologize for taking so long to finish this work, and hope that you will find this story of Susannah and her clan satisfying. Had a blast writing it--Thank you, Tracy St. John for creating such a great universe to play in!

ALIEN RESCUE--A fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER ONE

C1, S1  
“Mares' tails and mackerel scales make lofty ships to carry low sails. Cirrus clouds on the move. Rain on the way tonight.”   
Susannah Talcott glanced away from sky above her workstation. “Not that it makes any difference.”   
There would be no rain tonight or tomorrow or in the foreseeable future. The view floating on her ceiling would change to something else as the projection vid system rotated with the days and the seasons. Maybe a field of sunflowers instead of a cloud-patterned sky. Or just a gradual sliding toward sunset. Or a pattern of stars against a deep purple night-scape. She could even change it herself, if she wished.  
Susannah lifted the slide from the viewing stage of the spectroscope and prepped it for storage. She tucked it away and shut the drawer before washing off the archive-safe spray that coated her hands and protected the tiny, fragile fragment from the oils in her fingers. She smiled with satisfaction. Never mind the “weather.” Just two more samples of the rare paper and her documentation of the first edition of Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” would be complete. The sight of those final samples going into the archives would be good weather for her.  
She stood and stretched, pressing her back. She’d been slumping again. She needed a good long swim to ease the neglected muscles but she made a mental note to also raise the eyepieces on both the spectroscope and her electron microscope. There was so much more work to be done and she would need to conserve her energy and her health for the long haul. Generations were counting on her.  
She left the lab and climbed the stairs leading to the living space on the Second Level. Every level of the Heritage Project Collection storehouse was vacuum sealed and she pressed the button so that the door could hiss open and shut behind her. She took the steps slowly, not because she was infirm but because there was no hurry and she preferred to exercise in the storehouse’s gym. Conservation of energy, she reminded herself. Conservation was her life.   
She went to the large kitchen in one bay of the living space and poured water for a cup of tea. She heated it and then added a bag of good old-fashioned Earl Grey. She peeked into the fridge and thought longingly of what she’d rather be drinking: an icy-cold Dr. Pepper. But she had precious few cartons of the soda and she was rationing herself, limiting the treat to one pouch per week. Before too long, it would have to be one per month if no deliveries arrived.  
She would cope.

She dunked the tea bag until it dissolved, leaving only the tea in the cup. She found a slice of toast left from her breakfast and carried it with her to the long table. Taking a seat, she wrapped her hands around the warm cup, glancing around the room. Years ago, this long table would have been filled with people chattering, eating, drinking, comparing notes. Now there was no one but her.   
She waved her hand over the surface and a projection of a book popped up before her. Unknown Ajax, by Georgette Heyer, already open to the page where she left off. She loved funny, romantic stories of bygone times. Her mama wouldn’t have approved of reading at the table, but now there was no one to offend. She was the arbiter of all manners and fashion now. She made the rules.  
That was because, as the sole Curator for Collection Storehouse Beta of the Heritage Project storehouse, North American Sector, it was up to her to carry on the mission of the Project: to collect and preserve cultural and scientific treasures of Earth. There were other, also secret, Collections around the world. She and her colleagues had lived and labored in the hope that someday, when the religiously fanatical governments of United Earth finally fell, and sanity was restored, something would be left for future generations to claim as their legacy. She had claimed this mission as her own since she was old enough to understand its nature and its importance. Over three generations, people—her parents included—had risked all to create the Project and its Collections, to protect its contents and keep it secret, in the great hope of one day bringing everything back to a free world. So that there would be something left for future generations to claim as their legacy. A legacy that was hers to protect, even with her life.   
But how long would it be before that freedom was restored? Would she still be alone when that day came? What chance was there—  
She paused in the middle of a bite of toast, frowning. Had that been a rumble of rocks? Or just the structure of the storehouse settling?  
No. There it was again. A very faint, thumping vibration through the floor. Not her imagination. Earthquake? Bombs? An machine digging? Someone moving earth above?  
Her breath caught. It was coming from the entrance. A light by the sink began to blink. Someone or something had breached the long corridor that led down from ground level, the passage that bypassed Level One and led to this one, Level Two. How could they have found it?   
Stay calm, she told herself. Experience an animal that had blundered in through the hidden grate covering the entry to the stairs. She needed to remember security protocol, though, god, it had been a long time since the last drill.  
She pulled a knitted cap from her pocket and tucked her long hair up out of her way. She dashed to the weapons case and pulled out the only gun she knew was loaded, an old particle beam rifle. It wasn’t much but it would have to do. At least she knew how to use it. It would be protection against most animals. But if it wasn’t an animal— Damn that broken link to her vid feed from outside the entry! She couldn’t see who or what was coming. She was going to have to go in blind.  
Deep breath, she reminded herself. Steady hands. Don’t panic. After all, it might be a delivery and that would be good news. Great news.  
She cursed the broken link to her vid feed from outside the entry. She couldn’t see who or what was coming.  
It might be a delivery, she thought, hope rising.   
Then again, it might be government troops coming to invade the storehouse and take her away. To destroy the work of ages. Well, she would let them take her if she could be sure they didn’t learn about the Collection. If she was sure they couldn’t take it away. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but no one must know that the forbidden collections even existed. No one must know that the forbidden collections, here and around the world, even existed.   
In truth, she didn’t know who was in power aboveground or what they were up to. She couldn’t take any chances. They weren’t going to get the Collection without a fight. There was nothing for it. If need be, she would protect the Collection by exiting, and leading them away from the entry, like a hen leading the fox away from her nest. No matter what or who was there, she had to enter the corridor outside the door.  
She prepped the rifle. The chamber hissed in readiness. She marched to the entryway, and pressed the button nearest her. The door slid open. Dim lights barely illuminated the rough-rock entry space beyond, throwing shadows and odd highlights on the rugged surface. The door sealed shut behind her with a whisper, almost vanishing into the wall.   
Heavy footsteps approached, not even trying for stealth. So, not an animal. They were just around the bend. She sagged for an instant. “Dear heavens, don’t let me die.” Straightening, she added, “And don’t let me lose the Collection.”  
Then they were there.

C1, S2  
Kyrnis heard the faint click and froze, raising his hand for the others to halt. He signaled for them to stay and then pressed forward along the narrow path through the last barrier of fallen rock. He came up short as the corridor bent and he could see forward. A figure stood silhouetted in the space ahead.   
Gun!   
He dropped and rolled as the shot from the antique Earther weapon rang out.Faster than thought, he leaped, tackling the shooter and crashing to the floor. He reached to take the gun, then went suddenly still.   
The body underneath him was soft. Soft hips, soft thighs. Soft breasts. Soft scent. His body warmed in a heartbeat.   
A woman?  
He lifted his head and stared down. Huge, terrified eyes the color of a turquoise pool met his. Small flecks of emerald showed here and there, encircling the round black pupils of an Earther. She panted, heartbeat evident in the pulsing of her throat. His hands tightened on her wrists and she gasped. She was afraid. This was getting better. His fangs dropped automatically, ready to sink into the creamy flesh of her slender neck. To kill her? Or to subdue and arouse her? Did he care?  
“Sholt, Kyrnis!”  
Denar came running, Tynevek at his heels. They skidded to a halt on either side of the Nobek. His Dramok’s command to stop penetrated the haze of lust. Kyrnis pulled a breath, deep down into his chest. His fangs folded up and reluctantly, he pushed up and off the woman’s prone form, taking the rifle with him. Denar, the leader of their three-person unit, gave him a curt, approving nod. Kyrnis reached inside himself for further control of his instinct to rut. It had been a long time since he’d had a woman. His reaction to her had been immediate and potent. He called on his soldierly, Nobek training. With some effort, his body came into line with his duty.   
Tynevek, his Imdiko clanmate, knelt near the woman, murmuring assurances. The woman shook, staring up at them, the whites of her eyes showing bright around the blue orbs.  
“Forgive us for frightening you, Matara.” Tynevek spoke gently and calmly, as was his nature as one of Kalquor’s caregiving Imdiko breed. “We had no idea anyone was down here. Our guardian was trying to protect us when he knocked you over.”  
The woman stayed rigid. Kyrnis turned away, mouth twisting. Lust aside, he’d been brought up to revere women. Seeing this one on the ground, petrified at the sight of him, made him want to groan. It was his job to rescue Earther females, not render them senseless with horror and fear. He took a long moment, studying the rock walls, clearing his mind.  
She had fired on him, after all. He might have killed her if it hadn’t been so clear she was a female. Years of training had programmed him to defend his clan above all else. If a male had fired on them, he would likely have ripped out his throat with one bite of his fangs, guilt-free. Thank the ancients for Denar’s quick command.  
Tynevek’s words began to penetrate, warm, reasonable. “We’re an Earther Evacuation and Rescue team.” He made no move to touch her—standard protocol. “We had a faint signal from our sensors of a living creature under here, but we expected it to be an animal, not a human. We would have warned you had we not been trying to avoid rousing anything dangerous.” He grinned. “We did rouse something dangerous, I guess. You nearly blew off my team mate’s head, Matara.”  
“You’re all so big.” The young woman spoke in a whisper, looking dazed. “Are you basketball players?”  
Denar bowed. His clanmates followed suit. “We are Kalquorian. We have no desire to harm you in any way, Matara. We are entirely peaceful, I assure you. Our mission is to find survivors of the war here on Earth and help them to safety.”  
Kyrnis saw confusion fill her extraordinary eyes. Was her brain harmed? He’d hurt her that much?  
. “I am a doctor.” Tynevek showed her the insignias on the sleeve of his formsuit. One was the Kalquorian symbol for medic, a stylized hand with three wavy lines emanating from the palm: the healer’s mark. He also bore the ancient Earther symbol of two crossed red bars on a white field. “Were you hurt at all when you fell?”  
She caught her lower lip between her teeth as she studied the Imdiko’s face. At last, she shook her head. Kyrnis could breathe.   
Tynevek moved back, onto his haunches. “Can you sit up?”  
She nodded and pushed up, scooting away from them. “I’m okay. I don’t need to be rescued.”   
“I’m glad you’re oh-kay.” Tynevek was assessing her with his keen physician’s eye. “You look like you might be hungry. We have food we’d be happy to share.”  
The turquoise eyes were suddenly hazy. Kyrnis saw her swallow, hard.  
“No, I—I’m all right. You can take off.”  
Denar opened his mouth, probably to point out that she was lying, but Tynevek spoke first.   
“We can’t take off until we know you have food and water, Matara. And we have to make simple safety checks.” He gave her a wry smile and a shrug as if to say,“What can I do?” “Our superiors would be very unhappy if we didn’t do a thorough assessment of both you and the environment.”  
She was chewing on that soft lower lip again. Her lips were pillowy soft and a rosy coral and Kyrnis’ mind went straight to wondering if her nipples were the same shade. He felt himself stir again, to his chagrin. He set his jaw. He wasn’t an untried boy who couldn’t discipline his body. He could look at a female without feeling the need to rut. Or, at least, without acting on that need.  
“Why would your superiors care about me? And why do you need to check down here? Who are you?” The voice was soft but the questions sharp and to the point. No fool, this little one.   
Denar took point again. “We are on a mission to rescue people who might have gotten trapped. Because of the war?”  
“Ye-es.”   
Denar caught Tynevek’s glance, then answered. “We saw how the rocks in the corridor had caved in. You’ve had a cave-in down here?”  
She shrugged. “That can happen underground.”  
“Well, we want to help. We can get you to safety. Away from any more cave-ins.”  
“Oh. No, thank you. I’m fine.”  
The remarkable blue eyes were clear as a pool but many of the words from the pretty lips were lies. What was she hiding? Kyrnis survyed the area again, then again. Were there others waiting somewhere nearby, ready for her signal? Best to watch and listen. All liars tripped up eventually.  
“Might I just have a look at you in better light?” Tynevek tilted his head to one side, appealing. “I have a light in my pack. With my medical supplies.” He gestured to his bag beside him. “May I show you?”  
This seemed to pierce her fog. She peered at Tynevek’s knapsack. “Medical supplies? From your home world?”  
Tynevek tugged it toward him. “Yes. Nothing that will harm you, Matara. Only first aid, really. If you are—“  
“May I see?”  
Kyrnis frowned. Was this a trick? Was that look one of interest or of feigned innocence?  
To his chagrin, Tynevek opened the pack at once, holding it out to show the Earther. He was going to have to speak to his Imdiko about safety when they were done here.   
The Matara only looked over the edge of the bag, her pale face brightening. Tynevek lifted out a packet of moldable bandage foam, then a packet of stim tabs. “See. Nothing threatening. I think you have been down here a while, yes?”  
She studied the bandage foam, taking it from him like a delicate shell or a small gem, turning it over and over. Studying it. “This is Kalquorian writing.”  
“It is. Do you know our language?”  
“I have only seen and heard snippets. It sounds similar to some of our early Germanic languages. Somewhat guttural.  
Kyrnis shot Denar a look. His Dramok’s keen, piercing eyes mirrored his own surprise. How had this woman, a sheltered Earther, come to know their language?”   
Tynevek chuckled. “I’m no linguist, just a doctor. May I show you more as I examine you? I will not ask you to do anything but stand up. If at any moment you become uncomfortable or frightened, I give you my word I will stop at once. And I will let you check anything use before I use it.” He patted the knapsack.  
Well, that was madness. This woman might be seven flavors of dangerous and his mate was handing over supplies and equipment to an alien being. An Earther! An Earther who had already tried to shoot them. Kyrnis moved to intervene.   
“Oh. Okay.” The Matara handed back the packet. “Then you’ll go?”  
“Let me check you first, then we’ll speak, yes?”  
She seemed to withdraw again, into herself. Tynevek waited. So patient, his Imdiko. And much too kind? What the demon was he thinking?  
She gave a small shake. “All right.”  
Tynevek’s posture straightened and his smile beamed out. His Imdiko was never so happy as when he was in accord with others, when he was helping them. He needed a keeper, sometimes, really, but he wouldn’t trade the handsome doctor for the world. He just worked harder to protect and defend him.  
The woman still looked as if she’d bolt like a frightened kestarsh at any moment but she allowed Tynevek to help her to her feet. He dropped her hand as soon as she was up, and stepped away, allowing her to keep her distance. Kyrnis noticed that his Imdiko, too, gave off the scent of arousal. The Earther had somehow made an instant impression on the clan. He’d never seen them all respond this quickly or this enthusiastically to any of the Mataras they’d helped to safety so far, and they’d been on Earth for over three years. Was there something special about her that aroused them? Or was it this underground place, so extraordinary, and still so reminiscent of Kalquor’s own vast mountains and mines?  
Perhaps they scented fertility? Mating with an ovulating female was an almost immediate biological imperative for a Kalquorian male. If she was releasing eggs, ready to conceive, they might have to fight to keep from pressing themselves on her. He’d need to be on the alert to protect her, the person who’d just fired on him. How ironic was that?  
“What is your name, Matara?” Tynevek asked. Tynevek showed her the compact reader that checked for vitals, stress, body temperature, heart and lung function. She looked it over, not pressing any of the controls but seeming to absorb its nature even so.   
“Susannah.” She handed back the reader and pulled her knit cap closer over her ears. “Susannah Talcott.”  
“I am Imdiko Doctor Tynevek.” The doctor alien, his handsome face gentle, spoke cheerfully as he worked. “This is Dramok Denar, our leader, and the mountain that fell on you is Nobek Kyrnis, our guard.”   
Susannah watched as the doctor—Tynevek—pulled out more supplies, explaining what each one was, what it was for, and assuring her every one of them was both non-invasive and painless. Some appeared quite advanced from what she knew of current Earther medicine.  
“Are you alone here, Matara?”   
She looked up at the one called Denar. Or was his name Dramok? The Tynevek one was using a wand to check her blood pressure. That was interesting. Her brows drew together. “Why do you keep calling me Matara?”  
“It’s a title, as you would say Miss or Ms. or Mrs. here on Earth. It’s a term of respect for a woman in our culture. It means life-bringer.”  
“Oh.” She looked over her shoulder at the Imdiko/Doctor person, who was now doing a vertical scan of some sort tracing along her spinal column. It gave her an idea. “Is the gravity different where you come from? If there is less pressure on your skeletal structures due to lower gravity, it seems reasonable you might evolve into beings so tall.”  
Kyrnis smiled and nodded to Susannah and the woman actually relaxed a little. She didn’t smile back but he liked seeing her lose some of her terror.   
Tynevek opened his pack and pulled out medical supplies, explaining to the young woman what each one was, what it was for, and reassuring her that every one of them was both non-invasive and painless. He didn’t mention that at least one of them doubled as a weapons sensor. If she was still armed, they’d know it at once. They’d come in peace, but they weren’t stupid. Earthers had fooled them in the past.  
She rose to her feet and nodded her assent to the exams. Kyrnis felt pride in the way his Imdiko was able to calm even his most frightened patients. It made him a great asset on their rescue missions. It didn’t hurt that Tynevek was also one of the most winsome men Kyrnis had ever seen, as close to beautiful as a male could be and still be unmistakably masculine. Males and females alike, both Kalquorian and Earther, followed his Imdiko with admiring eyes.  
Kyrnis and Denar exchanged a sharp glance and puzzled looks around the small room. He would have sworn their scans had showed a much larger space below the odd indentation in the ground up above, perhaps even a cavern. Moreover, this space was unfurnished and he could see no evidence of food, water, sleeping mats, or anything else that might sustain the woman.   
“Are you alone here, Matara?”   
She looked up at Denar. Her brows drew together. “Why do you keep calling me Matara?”  
Denar smiled. “It’s a title, as you would say Miss or Mrs. here on Earth. It’s a term of respect for a woman in our culture. It means life-bringer.”  
“Oh.” She looked over her shoulder at the Imdiko, who was now doing a vertical scan to check her spinal column. “Is the gravity different on your planet? If there is less pressure on your skeletal structures due to lower gravity, it seems reasonable that you might evolve into beings so tall.”  
Tynevek’s eyes widened. “You accept the theory of evolution, Matara Susannah?”  
She looked vaguely puzzled. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I? It’s been well-documented for centuries.”  
The three men looked at one another. Kyrnis knew what the other two were thinking. An Earther female who even knew about evolution was unique. It was one of many scientific teachings banned on her planet. An Earther woman who could converse about it in an educated, rational fashion was rarer still. This Matara was no ordinary female.  
Which begged the question: how had she escaped the repressive Earther teachings that were so narrow and so cruel, especially to women? Who was Matara Susannah Talcott? And, of course, why was she here? Kyrnis couldn’t resist lifting a brow in Denar’s direction. This was getting interesting.  
“You’re in good health.” Tynevek put away his instruments. “Tell me, Matara Susannah, where do you find food and water?”  
She paled and frowned. “You’re from the government.”  
“What makes you say that?” Denar’s voice was soft.  
“Who else would you be? You want to know if I have supplies I shouldn’t have. And your English is too good to be off-worlders.”  
Kyrnis raised his open palms. “Thank you for the compliment. We’ve worked very hard to learn your language. We are from Kalquor, Matara. If your government or military find us, they will try to kill us.”  
“Kalquor attacked Earth.”  
Denar spoke calmly. “And we are not attacking you now. We are not from your government.”   
“There’s nothing here that would interest Kalquorians.” That soft mouth was now firm. “You should go now. I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine.”  
Denar held up his rad scan. A blue light blinked on it. “It looks like radiation may be leaking into this space, Matara. It’s not safe for you here. You will come with us.”  
“No.”  
Kyrnis braced himself. Of all the words in all the galaxies that one avoided saying to a Dramok, it was “no,” especially to his Dramok, and especially in response to an order. This woman, with her suddenly confident eyes and raised chin, didn’t know her peril. Would Denar recall his training for this mission and make allowances for the Matara’s fear as well as her unfamiliarity with Kalquorians? Denar was officially in charge here, and he could be harsh in answer to rebellion.  
Tynevek stepped gracefully into the breach. “Matara Susannah, we are friends and we need to see that you are safe. If there is another chamber where you are living, we would like to check it for safety, too. This is all we ask.”  
She shook her head. Stubborn little thing. What—or who—was she protecting? He felt a flash of approval. She was defending something important to her, an admirable quality, an impulse a Nobek could understand. Still, Kyrnis sensed Denar tensing.   
“Please, Matara.” Kyrnis made his voice as gentle as he could, not always easy for the big warrior. “Permit us just a look, so we can help you be safe.”  
“We don’t ask for anything else.” Tynevek gave her one of his most beguiling looks. “But first, it’s time for us to have a meal. May we share it with you?”  
She seemed to debate with herself. Again, Kyrnis saw her swallow and knew the defiant little Earther was starving. He fought the growl that rose in his chest. She shouldn’t be going hungry, damn it!  
Her chin dropped a notch. “All right. I can’t stop you, can I?”  
Denar moved closer. “We won’t hurt you. We won’t force you. You have the right to refuse our help, Matara.” He looked down into her grim face and smiled that smile that Kyrnis knew made females melt like gara butter in the sun. “But I hope that you will not.  
Instead of melting, the Earther glared. “Don’t even think about trying to sweet talk me. I’m not an idiot.”   
Kyrnis had to suppress a smile. As Earthers would say, she had Denar’s number, all right. The problem was, Denar was entirely within his rights as her rescuer, not to mention as a conqueror of her planet. Still, he kept his patience.  
“I know you are not an idiot, Matara Susannah. That’s how I know you understand that we aren’t here to do you harm. Only to see that you’re safe. Besides, if we meant you harm, we could easily have overcome you by now. Don’t you think, Susannah?”  
Ah-ha. Now the smile was working. He saw the Matara hesitate. If the situation had been different, all three of the men might make a sexual advance upon seeing her wavering, vulnerable. Kyrnis caught a hint of the uniquely Kalquorian scent of sexual arousal, and knew his clan mates were reacting to the possibilities raised by that vulnerability. Born predators, all of them. But this was not an occasion for pursuing sexual gratification.  
“All right.” She turned away. “Follow me.”  
Kyrnis’s tension retreated. He automatically stepped into the lead behind the young woman. If this was a trap and there were others waiting in ambush, he needed to be able to protect his clanmates.   
His position also afforded an excellent view of the Matara’s backside, swaying gently as she walked. The rounded shape that showed beneath her slightly baggy trousers enchanted him. Was there a chance she’d be willing to let him see that pretty ass naked?  
He shook his head. It was as if he’d been drinking leshella, he thought, his thoughts totally on rut. He whipped his mind back into line. They might be in danger from something far worse than unrelieved erections.  
The woman stopped at the end of the short hallway and touched a slightly protruding rock in the wall to her left. An air-seal gasped as a door slid open before her. She led the way through and all three men took in sharp breaths.   
“Matara.” Denar’s voice was hushed with wonder. “What is this place?”

C1, S3  
Susannah watched the aliens move around Chamber Number One of Level Two, which was part of the geological collection. The three of them were the largest men she’d ever seen, even larger than many Earther basketball players, she saw now. There wasn’t a great deal of information on Kalquorians in the Project data banks. Most information about the denizens of the planet Kalquor was deemed contaminated by the Project experts, meaning that it came from the propaganda mills of Earth’s government. It could be safely assumed that any data from those sources was twisted, inaccurate, or outright false. Still, the last coms she’d had said Earth was at war with the Kalquorian Empire. These aliens kept saying they wanted to help her, but why? Was it to trick her into becoming a hostage? It wasn’t fair. She wanted no part of this stupid war.  
When she’d seen the giant, Kyrnis, coming through the rock barrier she’d almost dropped the rifle, her knees buckling under her. She hadn’t had time to think. She’d fired and then she’d been flat on her back, his huge body pressing her into the ground. The weight of him was a shock but what had all but finished her was the heat in his blue-purple cat eyes. When he’d shown his fangs, she’d known instinctively that she was about to be ravished. She was surprised—and thankful—she hadn’t peed her pants.  
Ravished. Why not raped, she wondered? Ravished was a word she knew from reading her favorite novels, the passionately romantic literature of an Earth-time long past. Her friend Lena had teased her about her books, saying some of them were just rape fantasies for literate women. Yet rape wasn’t the term she sought to describe the sensation of that Titan stretched full-length over her, even when his body had shown quite clear signs of what she guessed was sexual excitement. It had been no fantasy.   
Why hadn’t she expected rape? Maybe they actually were looking to make her a hostage or a prisoner of war, but still, they intrigued her.   
“These are geodes.” The alien called Denar held a chunk of rock in his large hands. “Beautiful specimens, Matara. Kalquor is full of mines but I’ve never seen one this color before.”   
He tilted the rock so the crystals inside it sparkled in the light. She couldn’t help thinking they matched the unique color of his cat-like eyes. She came nearer.   
“It’s amethyst. A form of crystalline quartz. They used to be common on Earth. You can see it’s set in its original surrounding of igneous rock. The purple color comes from iron or manganese impurities in the crystals. That one is from Old Siberia and is considered quite valuable. The Project is lucky to have such a good specimen in the Collection.”  
He smiled at her and this time she felt an unsettling flutter in her mid-section.   
“You’re very knowledgeable, Matara Susannah. This is all part of a Project, then?”  
Be cautious. There was no reason to trust these three. She shook her head. “Just a museum. That’s all.”  
He gave her a puzzled glance, then his brow smoothed and he nodded.   
She observed him carefully as he resumed strolling about the room. He was the tallest of the three, with sleek, powerful muscles rippling beneath the tight contours of his black, one-piece jumpsuit. His jet black hair was drawn back from his forehead and extended down his neck past his collar. It served to soften his otherwise harsh but striking features, which reminded her of an eagle: fierce, alert, and proud. She guessed he was a few years older than her own age, twenty-four, but his height and air of authority made him seem older. There was a leashed power about him that told her he’d be a formidable opponent, on any field.   
The doctor alien called from the doorway. “Everything’s ready. Come and eat.”  
She decided she liked the doctor. His plum-colored eyes were bright and gentle and he had been very comforting after her scare when they’d intruded into the storehouse. He was not as huge as the other two, although he, too, was muscled, solid, and at least a head taller than she. He was of a slimmer build and he looked wiry as well as strong and supremely masculine. His hair was very dark and it fell in soft waves around one of the most beautiful faces she’d ever seen on a man, outside of a painting or a vid. Long black lashes edged his purple cat-eyes and his mouth was both full and finely-formed. Like his fellows, his skin was brown and smooth, like a light mocha coffee, and when he smiled his perfect teeth shone out against his dark coloring.   
The one they called Nobek, Kyrnis, was yet another sort of man. He was the most muscular of the three, broader, more imposing, too. His dark eyes were as watchful as Denar’s but the intelligence behind them was more deadly, more animalistic. His huge hands, powerful neck and shoulders, his rugged features reminded her of a sculpture she’d seen of the god Poseidon, rising, wrathful, out of the ocean to do battle with a sea monster. He looked as if those great hands could decimate her with one casual blow. She shivered, but recalled that if her friend Lena had still been here, she would have been openly drooling over this gorgeous alien. Over all these aliens.   
She wasn’t here to drool or shiver. She was here to stand firm and not allow them or anyone else to invade her storehouse and take away her life’s work.   
She followed the men into the kitchen and saw enough food to keep her supplied for a month. There was thick brown bread dotted with nuts and seeds, cold roasted chicken, and even fresh fruit and cheese. Her stomach growled. It might not be a feast for these alien grizzly bears, but to Susannah it was more food—real food—than she’d seen on her table in many, many weeks. She was so hungry tears almost came to her eyes at the sight.  
She saw that all three of the men stood around the table, looking at her expectantly. She realized they weren’t going to sit until she sat, so she took a chair and settled in. They sat down, forming a cityscape of dark-clad skyscrapers around her.   
The doctor smiled warmly and pushed her plate closer. “Enjoy.” He courteously ignored her emotional response to the sight of the meal. “We make an effort to bring foods with us that are familiar to Earthers. I hope you like it.”  
Susannah couldn’t help herself. If the food was drugged or poisoned, she didn’t care. She’d die happy and full. It was all she could do not to eat like a savage, tearing into the food with her bare hands. She forced herself to take her fork and knife.  
The huge Kyrnis had moved away. Now he approached and set a glass of something brown and bubbly before her. She sniffed it and a couple of tears actually did form. “Dr. Pepper.” Her throat tightened at the words. Did he know it was her favorite?  
His stony face twisted into a look of disgust. “I know Earthers like it. It’s a scary beverage. It shoots gas into the nostrils.”  
She blinked. Scary? This fanged behemoth was frightened by soda pop bubbles?  
“Don’t mind him.” Denar flashed her a surprising, devious grin. It lightened his whole, serious demeanor, turning him from arresting to downright handsome. She felt a quick thrill inside herself. “You should have seen him the first time he tasted your Earth champagne. He jumped about a mile and threw the glass across the room.”  
Kyrnis scowled. “It stung!”  
“Yes, but if you’d had a little more, I know you would have liked it. A very pleasant intoxicant.”   
Kyrnis sat and folded his arms. “Not possible. I’ll stick to leshella.”  
It was a new word to Susannah. She had to learn it. “What is leshella?”  
“It’s a wine from the planet Plasius.” Tynevek pushed more apple slices her way. “It has a stimulating effect on the libido.”  
“An aphrodisiac?” she asked, even as she shoveled the fruit into her mouth.   
“Yes.” Denar almost purred the word. “Not terribly potent but still fun.”  
For some reason, Susannah smelled cinnamon. Three sets of deep purple eyes were on her. She swallowed a bite as she felt heat bloom in her cheeks. She knew what an aphrodisiac was, at least in the academic sense. She had a feeling these men knew what it was in every other sense.   
“So, you seem to know a lot about Earth.” It was a lame attempt to change the subject, but she wanted to evade those strange, yet eloquent eyes.  
“My eldest brother is clanned with an Earther woman.” Kyrnis nodded proudly. “She’s a good Matara for his clan.”  
“Clan?” She thought back to what little she knew of their race. “Ah. I remember. Three men and one woman, usually, yes?”  
Tynevek nodded. “We have few females on Kalquor. You may know that long ago, a virus killed many Kalquorians, particularly Mataras, and by genetic mutation, rendered many surviving females infertile. It is rare nowadays for a Kalquorian woman to bear a child, even more rare to bear a living female child.” His tone was cautious. “The sharing of one female by three males is a good way to insure that more males have mates and families while we try to restore the population.”  
She absorbed this for a moment. “I see the logic in that.”   
Those three sets of dark eyes blinked in astonishment. She stopped chewing and swallowed. “What?”   
“You don’t find three males to one female unnatural?” Denar looked like he was waiting for her to shriek or explode.   
“You don’t feel Kalquorians and Earthers mingling is an abomination?” Tynevek looked equally cautious.   
Interesting questions. They seemed very important questions to the aliens. “Do you think Earthers are an abomination?”   
“No.” Kyrnis’ long braid swung across his shoulders. “We find Earther women beautiful and…desirable. We love our Earther Mataras.”  
Tynevek continued the story. “You are the only race we’ve found whose genes are reproductively compatible with ours. The Earther-Kalquorian children who have been born since we discovered the compatibility are wonderful. With them, our race may yet stave off extinction for another generation. We are very fortunate.”  
Denar cleared his throat. “Matara Susannah. Where is your family?”  
She stared off across the room, at the shelves of artifacts still waiting to be classified and stored. She could see her papa there, his head bent to his reader, studying each item with his intense, curious stare.   
“My parents are dead.” The aliens murmured their sympathy. “I had colleagues who worked here with me, but they’re gone, too.”  
Denar scowled. “You’re alone?”  
She nodded and picked up some cheese. So delicious. She almost sighed as she bit into the soft, tangy morsel.   
“How long?”  
She thought. Days did seem to blend into each other, especially when she was truly absorbed in work. “About a year. Maybe longer.”  
She saw Tynevek jolt, then try quickly to hide it. “You’ve been alone for a year, Susannah?” His face showed both shock and sorrow. “That must have been very difficult.”  
She shrugged. “Yes. I miss Papa and the others. But I have the Collection and my work and I’m very happy here.”  
Denar leaned in. “Tell us more about your work.”   
“Well, I used to be Curator of Literature and Arts.” She licked her fingers, uncaring of her manners. It was wonderful to have food in her belly, though she hoped she wasn’t going to be sick, she was so full. “Now, I care for the entire Collection.”  
“You said the Collection is part of a Project?” Tynevek asked.   
“The Heritage Project. It was—”  
She stopped. She’d already told—and shown—these strangers more than she should. The effects of their friendliness and the good food had put her off her guard.   
Denar pounced. “Yes. It was?”  
“It was wonderful. The food.” She smiled around at them. “Thank you so much. If you want to wash up before you leave, there’s a bathroom just over there.” She pointed across the room.   
Denar’s voice was firm. “We haven’t checked the rest of your Collection.”   
She paused, then rose. “This is all there is.” She began gathering dirty plates.   
Kyrnis took the plates from her and began clearing, quickly and efficiently. “Sit, Matara. I will do this for you.”  
“Oh, but—”  
He was already across the room, in the kitchen, before she could say another word. He had moved faster than anyone she’d ever seen or even read about. Denar was at her side now.   
“You said you were Curator of Arts, Susannah. I see no artworks here.”  
Damnation. She hadn’t factored that into her lie.   
Denar took his rad scanner out of his supply belt. “Show me, Matara.”  
He stared at her blandly while she debated what to do. Something told her this man, of all the three, wouldn’t hesitate to use any means in his power to get the truth from her. His eyes reminded her once again of a raptor, keen and focused. To underestimate his intelligence or his power would be foolish, if not fatal.   
“All right. This way.”   
They all followed. She felt like she was being tracked by a pack of wolves, their steps quiet and assured at her back. She didn’t even hear Kyrnis until she saw him beside her. How could such a big man move so quickly and stealthily? It would be fascinating to observe him and see how did it.  
But there was no way she would allow them to stay long enough for that.  
She went to the shelves at the far left wall. She pressed one and a partition slid back, its air-seal hissing.   
Kyrnis entered first, then Susannah, then Denar on her heels, both men looking about in quick, darting assessment. When they seemed satisfied there was no immediate threat in Chamber Three, they relaxed, staring around them, fresh wonderment in their faces.   
“Matara Susannah.” Kyrnis’s deep voice rumbled. “You live in a treasure house.”  
She smiled, feeling her cheeks color with pride. “Yes. I’m very fortunate.”  
Denar sauntered over to a stunning Caravaggio she’d hung in a central location on the far wall; Narcissus staring at his reflection in a pond. He examined it with sharp eyes. “This is an original.”   
She bristled. “They’re all originals. We collect only original artifacts.”  
“We?”  
She gave him a wide-eyed look. “Obviously, I couldn’t have brought all these here by myself.” She knew he’d meant to trick her into telling him about the Project but she’d seen it coming. The Project had to be kept hidden from the government—shattered or not—or all would be lost and she would be imprisoned. Or worse. She’d already told them more than she should.   
She smiled blandly. One dark eyebrow arched, then he turned away to run his scanner.  
Kyrnis gazed around at the rich wood paneling and warm lighting that spotlighted the artworks in the room. “So beautiful. Like a feast.” He went to examine a Joan Miro sculpture that sat in one corner. Kyrnis waved a hand in front of it. “It dives and flows. Like in the ocean.”  
Susannah had always thought its smooth, rounded shapes were vaguely reminiscent of the now-extinct dolphins. “Yes! I think it does look like it’s about to swim away.” He might be an alien but he did have an appreciation for art. How long had it been since she’d had anyone to talk with about painting or sculpture?  
Denar’s scanner hummed. Kyrnis joined him and they made the rounds of the room, taking readings high and low. Twice, the blue light flashed and she saw Denar’s eyes narrow. Tynevek had been roaming all over and now he smiled broadly.  
“Matara Susannah, these are all masterpieces! I studied many of these when I was in school.”  
“You study Earth art on Kalquor?”  
He nodded. “We have works from all over our galaxy and beyond. You should see the Central Museum in the capital.”  
She moved closer. “I’d love to see art from other worlds.”  
He smiled. “You will, Matara. I’ll take you to see them anytime you wish.”  
She backed away. “That’s...nice of you to say.” She turned to Denar. “Do you have what you need?”  
“No. I need to see the rest of your home, Susannah. I know it is has to be larger than this. I’ll need to inspect the storage areas where you keep your supplies. And your sleeping quarters.”  
Her jaw tightened. No one was allowed into storage except Project workers with full authorization. There were too many delicate artifacts stored in there, not to mention their survival supplies, what was left of them.   
And show him her bedroom? That notion just plain made her quake.  
“I’m not allowed to show you those areas.” It was the truth, but somehow, she thought this—Dramok? Dramok, yes—didn’t care. She met his dark eyes again and gave an inward sigh. Her papa hadn’t raised any dumb Curators. This alien wasn’t going to go away until she’d shown him every last corner of the storehouse. What else could she do? She surrendered the field. For now.  
“All right. This way.”  
She led them through another air-sealed door into the central stair well that ran all the way from Level One to Level Six, the last level. She led them, they down to the Sciences level, which housed the Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering Collections, along with her main lab. The Kalquorians looked more stunned with each threshold they crossed. The Project had been gathering artifacts and data for three generations and many experts from many fields had advised them on what to include. They went to Level Four, where Music, History, and literature shared space with Astronomy, which had been squeezed out of Level One when it collapsed. Level Five featured the gardens and greenhouse where they grew not only food but kept heirloom seeds viable for the future. It also contained their pool, gymnasium and recreation room, as well as an elevated running track and the small medical clinic, all of which elicited admiring remarks from the men.   
When they moved on, it was down into the lowest area, Level Six, which was also the most secure area in the storehouse. This was the vast holding area that stretched far back into the earth. She watched as they got a look at the hundreds upon hundreds of cartons and boxes that held parts of the Collection yet to be catalogued or that had not been chosen for study or for one of the gallery displays on the upper floors. The hope of the future kept secure.  
They also saw the dwindling supply of food, drink, medicines, and other materials to support life. She saw Tynevek’s mouth pull tight as he ran his eyes over her medical cabinets and her reserve supply of potable water. Kyrnis rumbled darkly to himself as he prowled around the store of back-up generators and electrical equipment. Denar’s face was very still when he looked at her at last.   
“When will you receive your next load of supplies?”  
“In a week or two.” She pasted on a blithe smile as she spoke her hope, rather than the truth. “I have good connections aboveground.”  
His eyes were fastened on hers, as if he could pin her to the wall like an entomological specimen. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something more. “And where do you sleep, Matara?” Tynevek avoided meeting his clanmate’s eyes, she noticed.   
She was reluctant to show them her room. It was her most private place, her sanctuary where she could go to be alone. That is, until she had become truly alone. Still, she knew Denar would not permit her to deny them. She led the way to the dorms. When she reached her room, she simply opened the door and let them go in. 

C1, S4  
Denar felt a shiver in his belly when he entered the Matara’s sleeping room. Her scent, sweet and salty and mixed with a delicate, flowery perfume, was most concentrated here and it gripped his loins in a flash of desire. He fought against arousal. It wasn’t wrong to feel such things for a woman he’d come to rescue just as long as he knew he could never act on them. It was strictly forbidden to impose on a vulnerable survivor. Yet he’d never before had such a continuous, immediate reaction to any female, let alone an Earther.  
Was there more going on? Was he somehow reacting to being underground once again, filled with the need to connect with another before life ended? Dammit, he loathed feeling vulnerable.  
Susannah’s room wasn’t large but it was comfortably appointed in soft, feminine blues and greens. A thick carpet covered the floor and a quilted coverlet of ocean-blue velvet draped her bed. Silken pillows were heaped at the head. Nearby stood a small table with her hair brush, a few trinkets, and a still-vid of a couple he guessed were her parents.   
On one wall, a bookcase stretched from floor to ceiling. Susannah Talcott must love old books because he knew most Earthers, like his own people, tended to read off their personal tablets. Or they watched vids. But these were real books with hard and soft covers, in all sizes, all colors, stacked tight on every shelf.   
He raised his scan and checked the room. No blue lights flashed. Good. No contamination. In fact, he hadn’t found any radioactivity on the two lower levels. It must mean nothing had penetrated that far. Yet. He was glad they were getting Susannah out of here before the poisons sank through the earth and crept into this quirky little Earther’s nest.   
A nest, he thought. Interesting image. Like a bird who’s created a home in an out of the way place. Desire stirred again. Suns, the woman’s scent was so enticing. He needed to get out of here before the sight of the soft bed and that pile of inviting pillows made him too aroused to be rational. As it was, the idea of coupling with the soft-spoken woman with the lovely sea-colored eyes was already running rampant through his senses. He could see those eyes going soft with want, closing in bliss as he moved over her, driving deep into her warmth. He’d yet to see her body beneath her unrevealing clothes but he suspected, from what he could discern, that she would be lusciously full-breasted with long, smooth thighs that could—  
He turned and stalked out, brushing past Susannah and the others and heading for the stairs to the upper levels. He went quickly, hoping to quell the lust that had suddenly swamped him, scrambling his reason and confusing his senses.  
He dashed up the stairs, gaining floor after floor until he reached the kitchen where they’d left their things. Kyrnis had packed everything away, leaving their things on the tabletop, ready to go. He snagged his pack and hung his rad scanner back on his belt. His arousal and his tension ebbed as the others joined him.   
“You won’t need to pack anything, Matara Susannah. We have plenty of clothing and other supplies for you on the transport that will take you off-world. If there’s something small you want to bring, some token, there will be room for that onboard.”  
She stood by the kitchen table and smiled. She had the gentlest smile.  
Shit. Focus, Denar. She’s a rescue subject!  
“Oh, thanks, but no thanks, Dramok Denar. You were kind to share your food with me. I hope you have a safe trip home. Besides, I doubt anyone would allow you take an Earther woman off-world.”  
He raised a brow. “You’re coming with us, Matara.”  
She shook her head. “It’s a lovely offer, but I can’t leave.”  
He stepped toward her, feeling his temper heating. “Why not?”  
She shrugged, still smiling. “Because this is where I live. I am the Curator. My work is here.”  
“Susannah, we can’t leave you here alone.” Tynevek put out his hand. “There is a threat of radiation in the top two levels and your supplies aren’t going to last much longer.”  
She looked at him, puzzled. “I said I was due for a delivery.”  
Denar hissed. “No one’s been down here in months, maybe longer, Susannah. We looked everywhere up above. The way we came in—the only way in—hasn’t been used in a very long time. We can read these signs. You’e been cut off. Who do you think is left up above to supply you?”  
She lifted her chin. “I’ll be fine. I grow food in the botanical gardens on the Bio Level. There’s enough energy in our storage cells to last many, many years and you’re wrong, there are plenty of others who will come to visit me. Things are just a little confused because of the war. I’m staying. There’s no need to rescue me.”  
“Matara, I examined you.” Tynevek spoke softly. “You’ve been starving yourself, trying to make your supplies last. And no one should be alone like this for as long as you’ve been. It can have lasting physical as well as mental effects. Damaging effects.”  
Denar’s recent flood of lust diverted to fuel his anger. He stepped up until he was within a handspan of the young woman, his eyes boring down into hers. “You will be coming with us, Susannah Talcott, even if I have to have Tynevek drug you and Kyrnis carry you out of here over his shoulder.”  
Her eyes widened but she didn’t give an inch. He wondered at the way she stood up to an alien male almost twice her size. The top of her head didn’t even reach his chin. She was either a fool or she possessed extraordinary courage. And willfulness.   
“I cannot go. I made a vow to protect the Collection and to carry on what was begun here. You might force me out, but I will lodge a complaint with your ruling Council. I know that forcing Earther women is against your law.”   
Her turquoise eyes snapped. Ah. The gentle smile hid a stubborn temper. Dammit, her challenging him made her even more desirable. But she wouldn’t best him. He kept his voice even, though his jaw was tight with the effort not to show his fangs.   
“You aren’t as well informed as you imagine, Curator. There is a law against forcing women to become our mates. There is nothing that says we cannot take anyone off this rock that we damn well please.”  
“I think Earth Gov would take issue with that, even in wartime. But if that is correct, then you must do what you must do. However, I don’t believe you want to force me to go when I’m so much happier here.”  
“Try me,” he growled. “I will—”  
The ground began to shake beneath his feet. A tremor shivered across the ceiling. He shouted to his clan mates. “Tynevek, get her downlevel! Kyrnis, we need to—”  
There was another deep, muffled boom from above. Denar saw his Imdiko scoop Susannah in his arms and race for the stairs. Things began to shake in the cupboards and the lamp over the table swung crazily. Kyrnis dashed to the front door and listened, almost stumbling as another explosion made the storehouse shudder.   
“Take cover. Now!”  
He and the Nobek dove for shelter under tables. Denar heard things crash around them and saw crockery and glassware shatter on the concrete floor. Raw fear ripped his guts when he thought of Tynevek and Susannah down below.   
Great suns, not again. Please not again.  
The pounding went on for another moment or two, then there was silence. The world seemed to come to rest and settle once more. Denar felt his stomach unclench.  
Finally, Kyrnis gave the signal and they crept out, stepping around broken glass and fallen ceiling panels. Denar went to the front door and studied all around it. As far as he could tell, the air-seal had held. There was no dust or debris coming from under the door. Then, the lights blinked once, then died, and they were left in utter darkness.   
“Well, this is a development.”   
Denar thought he heard the slightest hint of concern beneath the Kyrnis’ words. He must be shaken up.  
“It is indeed.” He felt sick. He couldn’t look at his Nobek. “I didn’t post a guard outside.”  
“The Tri-bus was already swinging back around to us, Denar. We’d sent up word that we’d found an animal and were just going to investigate. There was no need.”  
They were underground, of course there was a need! Sweat beaded on his brow. I didn’t post a guard. Again.  
Fear gripped him and he jolted into action, moving toward the doorway that led to the stairs. Kyrnis was at his heels. By the time they reached the first landing, they were running. He was relieved to find the air-sealed doors still functioned.  
She has to be safe, Denar thought determinedly. She will be. And my Imdiko, too. It can’t happen twice. It can’t.  
He and Kyrnis barreled into the supply area, where an emergency light was casting a faint yellow glow across the expanse. Tynevek was on the floor, under a steel table, Susannah curled up under his body.   
“Are you all right? Tynevek!”  
“We’re, uh, fine.”   
The Imdiko let loose of his hold on Susannah Talcott and she crawled out. They both looked well, but Tynevek had a dazed look on his face that alarmed Denar. Had he been hurt?  
Susannah smoothed out her shirt and stretched a little. She seemed uninjured.  
It finally registered with Denar that they were, indeed, both fine. He felt his chest loosen, his fear slide away. He’d been right to send them down here, where he knew the walls were better constructed to withstand seismic activity as well as the elements.  
Kyrnis chuckled as he reached down to help Susannah to her feet. Denar bit his lip, hiding his smile when Tynevek waved to them.   
“It’s all right. Just need a moment to get my balance.”  
Tynevek was both an accomplished gymnast, an aerialist, and a space-flight veteran, not to mention having trained as a climber in the mountains on Kalquor. Only a gyro-ball had better balance. Denar was sure that, despite the recent attack, the Imdiko had inhaled a lungful of the Earther woman’s scent. He was flustered with the condition that had so afflicted Denar himself when he’d been in Susannah’s room. Had this been any other situation, he knew his Imdiko would have sported his arousal proudly as he stalked his female. In fact, he wouldn’t have wasted a moment in stripping her naked and taking her, hard, considering how long it had been since any of them had had a female. Yet, with his caring nature and his dedication to his work and his duty, Tynevek would be distressed to have such an unprofessional reaction to a survivor he’d been tasked to rescue. Denar turned tactfully away and let his clanmate recover.   
At the sight of Susannah’s pale face, he almost reached out to pull her to him. He checked himself just in time. “Are you all right?” “I’m fine.” Her voice was surprisingly steady. She was resilient, he’d give her that. “They bombed again, didn’t they?”  
“This has happened before?”  
“The last time was a little over a year ago. Maybe longer? No one ever came down, so I don’t know if they were trying to hit the storehouse or if they were just dropping bombs in a fight. Stupid war.”  
“What happened to the building after that bombing?” Kyrnis asked.   
“After about a week, the first floor collapsed. Fortunately, we didn’t keep much of the Collection up there, so we simply sealed it off and came down a level.”  
Denar looked at his Nobek. “We need to check out the damages. You try to raise the transport team on the com.” He turned to Susannah, who was biting her lip again, as she seemed to do when she was worried. “Stay here with Tynevek, Matara. Don’t come up, either of you, until we call you.”  
Susannah started to say something but Denar was hurrying after Kyrnis. “Don’t let her come up,” he flung over his shoulder at Tynevek. He and Kyrnis took the stairs two at a time.  
“She’s more concerned about all these artifacts than her own safety,” Kyrnis said softly. “They’re nice, but they’re not worth her life.”  
“I agree. But convincing that stubborn female is not going to be easy.” Kyrnis chuckled. “She’s almost as determined as my Dramok.”  
“I’m going to ignore that disrespect for your clan leader for now,” Denar said acidly. “But expect some ugly duties later, Nobek.”   
Kyrnis only chuckled again and began leaping up the steps, three and four at a time. Denar upped his pace to stay abreast of his clanmate.   
“Do you think Tynevek will have sex with Susannah while we’re up here, Denar?” They gained the last set of stairs. “They’re very close to her bed. And our Imdiko was harder than these rock walls just from holding her under that table.”  
Denar shook his head. “Susannah’s ours to rescue, not to fuck, and he knows it. Besides, I think he sees something wrong with the way Susannah behaves.”  
“You mean like she dares to stand up to you?”   
“Keep it up. I see hours of data input in your future.”  
Kyrnis’ laugh rang out as they stepped up onto the top floor. “She’d be a delicious play partner, though, wouldn’t she?”  
“Get to work,” Denar snarled.  
But as they found their packs and donned their anti-rad suits, he couldn’t help thinking that if he got the chance to bed the odd little Earther, he wouldn’t be playing around.


	2. Chapter 2

ALIEN RESCUE--FAN FICTION INSPIRED BY TRACY ST. JOHN'S KALQUOR SERIES  
CHAPTER TWO

C2, S1   
“What does Imdiko mean?”  
Susannah and Tynevek were sitting on the floor, their backs resting against the wall not far from the bottom of the stairs. She was anxiously awaiting a damage report from the other two. She needed to get upstairs and check on the artifacts and her lab but she recognized the rescue unit wasn’t about to allow her to move yet. Denar’s fierce look had told her now was not the time to intervene. She decided it was a good time to learn more about these strange beings. So, she had asked her companion one of the million questions she had about them.  
“It means caregiver, nurturer. I am a doctor, a surgeon.”  
“Are all Imdikos doctors?”  
“No. Some are chefs and spiritual advisors, psychologists and teachers, child care and emergency workers. Nurses and artists. Even some police officers and negotiators are Imdikos. Within our clans, we take care of the physical and emotional and spiritual needs of our clanmates.”  
She looked at the huge, muscled alien and found it difficult to imagine him cooking food or raising children. Yet there was a gentle look in his eyes that spoke of a kind heart. She smiled and the beautiful dark eyes beamed.   
“And a Dramok?”   
“Clan leader. A chief, I think you might say. Or boss? He is our authority, and makes the major decisions of the clan. Dramoks can be in any profession, as can any one of our three male breeds, but Dramoks will always insist on rising to the top and taking the lead. They are the commanders, the generals, the organizers, and the public figures.”   
“And Kyrnis is…?”  
“A Nobek. Our warriors and protectors. Guardians and officers and hunters. They are often soldiers, police, security specialists. They are exceptionally strong, usually, and they are skilled laborers, too.” He tilted his head and regarded her with interest. “And you? You are Curator. A perfect job for a woman.”  
“What is that supposed to mean?” She shot him a suspicious glance. Was he like the Earther men who believed women should only be mothers, elementary school teachers, or nurses?  
He smiled. “Do not be offended. I only meant that we see women as beings who combine all three of the breed traits in one. As Head Curator, I would guess you are the decision maker, or Dramok. Your job is also to care for your collection and grow it and see that it thrives, so you are Imdiko, as well. And, you are one daring protector.” He chuckled. “We’ve seen that first hand. That makes you Nobek, too. Because of all these things in combination, which I see as very womanly, I say you are ideally suited for your position.”  
“Oh. Well, thank you.” She still wasn’t sure if he was trustworthy on the subject of female independence, but she was willing to reserve judgement.  
“You are welcome.”  
“Your eyes are like cats’ eyes.” She had hopped to another topic but she couldn’t help it. She had so many questions about these intriguing new creatures. “Or maybe an owl’s?”  
He settled back against the wall more comfortably. He stretched out his long, long legs and crossed them at the ankles. Dear heavens, he looked like he could crack walnuts between those muscular thighs.  
“Our geneticists believe that somewhere far, far back in our ancestry, we mixed with a night-hunting species. We can see in the dark better than Earthers.” His eyes twinkled at her and his voice deepened. “Our tongues are rougher, too, and we can be predatory. My opinion is we mated with some feline ancestor rather than birds. Otherwise, I think we’d have wings.”  
She felt herself warming unaccountably at the thought of mating with a hunter with a rough tongue. She shoved the image aside. That was more than she could deal with right now.   
“Wings would be interesting, too. You said you studied art in school. Most medical students would be focused on math and science, I’d think.”  
She’d hopped again. He didn’t seem to mind.   
“Medical study for us does mean long years of training in those fields. But education means learning much more than the special interests of our chosen fields, don’t you think? We are expected to study art, music, history, literature, societies and cultures, even engineering and architecture.”  
She drew in a sharp breath. “All of those? How wonderful!”  
He laughed outright. “Many of my fellow medical students didn’t see it that way. They groaned through every lecture and field study that didn’t have to do with bodies and medicine. But in the end, they usually concede that they’re better doctors than they would have been had they been allowed to focus on only one thing.”  
“Do you think you’re a better doctor?”  
He gave an odd look and nodded. “I hope I am.”  
“So much to study!” She sighed, leaning back against the wall. “Can women attend your schools?”  
“Of course.”  
“And yet your word for woman means life-bringer?”  
He shrugged. “That’s true. It’s the most significant difference between males and females in my world. Despite our bigger bodies, we males can do almost everything a woman can, except give birth. Because you combine all three types in your natures and you can produce children means women are revered in my culture. You are so powerful.”  
“Hmm. Do you have a wife, Tynevek?”  
His face was suddenly sad. “We don’t.”  
“We?”  
“We. My clan. Denar, Kyrnis, and I are a clan. But we don’t have a Matara. Yet.”  
“Are you—”  
The door hissed open and Denar and Kyrnis came in, their expressions dark. Tynevek stood and helped Susannah to her feet. “What’s the damage?”  
“Some evidence of new radiation leakage.” Denar set his instruments on a nearby table. “But more importantly, there’s been a rock slide. The entrance is completely sealed. We’ll have to dig our way out of here.”  
“Or transport can dig their way in,” Tynevek said.   
“They might.” Kyrnis scowled. “If we could raise them on the com.”  
Susannah saw the Imdiko—how quickly she was learning their titles!—scowl. “You can’t reach them? Were they in the bombing?”  
Denar shook his head. “We don’t know. We’ll try again later.” He turned her way. “But there is damage on your Level Two, where we came in, Susannah. Cracks in several places, and one big one on Level Three, nearest the south end of the storehouse. You’re more at risk for radiation than ever.”  
“I’ve repaired cracks before. I’ll gather the materials.” She turned to the storage supply area, but Denar caught her arm.  
“You can’t go up yet. I’m still not sure the structure is sound up above.”  
“But I have to clean up and get those cracks repaired.” She frowned. Why was he being so bossy? “The Collection is at risk for dust and other contaminants coming into the storehouse.”  
“Precisely. That’s why you’re going to stay down here, out of harm’s way until we’ve begun to seal those cracks and double-checked the air supply. We may have to seal off some levels, at least for the time being.” He glanced at Tynevek. “You and Susannah need to check the food supply, water, and the gardens on the Bio-Level. Wear anti-rad gear and be cautious—hazardous materials may have leaked. Kyrnis and I came down to get tools and materials. We’re going back up right away.”  
“I need materials to build a booster for our com signal.” Kyrnis nodded at Susannah. “Will you show me where you keep your electronics supplies, Matara?”  
She gave Denar a narrow glance, then motioned to Kyrnis. “This way.”  
From the corner of her eye, she heard the Dramok conferring with Tynevek in what she guessed was their own language. It sounded sharp and guttural but somehow right for their formidable natures. Tynevek looked worried but Denar shook his head and patted him on the shoulder. She frowned as she led the way down the aisle to electronics. Had they been discussing their plans to take her away from the storehouse?  
She returned to the task at hand, leading the Nobek to the electronics supply station. “If you need to boost the signal manually, we might rig an antenna and snake it through the air ducts. Primitive, but those things still might work.” She showed Kyrnis the shelves of supplies. “Boosting it digitally will give you a further range, as long as the satellite is still in place over the storehouse area.”  
He shot her an admiring glance. “You know your stuff, little one.”  
She frowned. “Little one? How old do you think I am?”  
He chuckled. “I’m guessing quite a bit younger than I am, and I’m the youngest of our clan.”  
“I doubt you’re older than thirty.” She handed him a box of raw links.   
“And how old are you?”  
“I’m twenty-four.”  
He opened the box. “These will help.” He grinned up at her from where he knelt. “And you flatter me. I’m fifty-one, Matara.”  
Her jaw dropped. “You lie.”  
His laugh was like distant thunder rumbling. “No. Kalquorians live much longer than Earthers. Fifty-one is still a youngling.”  
“And Denar and Tynevek?”  
“Oh, them.” He waved a big paw, dismissively. “Ancient. Over sixty, both of them.”  
“Sixty?”  
He selected a link and set it aside. “I didn’t call you little one because I think you’re a child, Matara Susannah. It’s just that you’re so much smaller than we are. It might sound like we’re making fun of you, but we’re not. Do you mind?”  
“No, I don’t think so.” She considered. “Shall I call the three of you Big Ones?”  
He grinned with delight. “That sounds ridiculous. I love it! Can’t wait until you call Denar that.”  
“Why is he so bossy?” She handed him down a packet of cables.   
“Because he’s our Dramok. Dramok means bossy in Kalquorian.”  
“Does it really?”  
He glanced up at her, his eyes twinkling. She decided she had been wrong about his face being ferocious. His smile was infectious and his eyes, though keen, were not as feral as she’d first thought. He was handsome in his own way, too. His slightly tilted, cat eyes and broad, flat cheekbones reminded her of a splendid, powerful male lion.   
“No. Dramok simply means leader.”  
“But you’re way bigger than he is. And Tynevek is a doctor. Why do you let him order you around?”  
He pointed to a small box of wire. “Same answer, little one. Because he is our Dramok. He is much better than either of us when it comes to making decisions and planning for our lives. It’s in his breeding and his training. We defer to him so that someone may have that role in our clan. Without a Dramok, we’d have three nasty-tempered, bossy males trying to run everything.”  
She swallowed as she passed him the box of wire. “Are—are you all nasty-tempered?”  
He checked his pile of supplies as he replied. “When our passions are roused, we can be. All the more reason to have a Dramok. He has the final word in all arguments. We depend on him for that, just as we depend on Tynevek to care for our bodies and spirits, and they depend on me for protection. We balance each other.”  
“But what about women?”  
He looked up at her with a keen glance. His dark eyes were hooded and she felt a ripple of electricity shoot down her spine. “What about women, Susannah?”  
“Ah. Well. Tynevek said you had no wife yet. Your clan.”  
His looked away, choosing more parts for his booster. “It’s true. We have no Matara.”  
“Wouldn’t she upset the balance?”  
“Yes and no.” He came to his feet in one easy move. “You ask a lot of questions, little one.”  
She felt her cheeks heat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just that you’re so different! There’s so much I don’t know about—about you big ones.”  
The warmth returned to his voice. “Your curiosity is a good thing. Most of the Earther women we’ve encountered don’t dare ask questions. They live in such fear.”   
She heard the anger in his last words. She looked up and saw sudden heat in his eyes. A faint scent of his cinnamon after-shave breezed past her. Was he going to touch her? Kiss her?  
He gripped the items in his hands and stepped back. “I’d better get going. The sooner I get the com working again, the sooner we can be sure you’re safe.”  
He turned and strode away, his big shoulders moving with a stalking lion’s graceful power. She stood in the aisle, staring after him until he disappeared through the door to the stairs.  
She shook herself back to attention. “Are you out of your mind, Susannah?” she breathed. Don’t even think about touching him or kissing him! He was an alien, he had invaded her Collection, and he was bent on taking her away from here. He’d even attacked her. That made him her enemy. He was a threat and so were his clanmates.   
That was why her heart was thumping and her body felt so electric and aroused. Logic dictated that there couldn’t be any other reason. 

C2, S2   
It was several hours before Denar allowed them to come to the upper levels, and he still insisted they wear anti-rad suits. Tynevek knew this place was classified as a moderately contaminated zone, but he knew that a slight shift in prevailing winds could intensify the levels in a particular area. It was also possible, Kyrnis had told him, that the ground or water supply itself may have already been contaminated by radioactive waste-products, long before the war. However they came about, radiation leaks were a serious threat.  
When they reached the Second Level, Tynevek studied his Dramok’s face and saw it was tight with worry. He knew this place, being underground, was fraught with emotions for Denar and not simply because of radiation or the mandate to complete their mission. To his relief, his leader didn’t seem over-stressed and he had denied that the bombings had shaken him much. In fact, he seemed more troubled by their beautiful Earther host. The Imdiko grinned with relief. Pretty Susannah was unknowingly helping his Dramok to face an important test.  
Tynevek wanted to groan aloud. Susannah had taken off her cap when she and Tynevek had been alone in the basement, donning protective suits over their clothing. Glossy cascades of honey-bronze hair had shaken out to flow over her shoulders and more than half-way down her back. He’d been seized immediately with an image of that beautiful hair swinging down over her naked breasts, its waving ends parting around lovely, round breasts with pink aureolas. Another image quickly followed: those long tresses tickling his thighs as she sank over his groin, her soft, blushing lips parting to take him into her mouth…  
He’d had to conjure up pictures of horrible injuries he’d seen as a doctor and still more images of extreme surgical procedures in order to wipe the lust from his mind and body. She had taken a band from her pocket and tied up the satiny locks in a tight tail at the back of her head and with effort, he managed to get some perspective on the young woman. She was his patient, he told himself. A rescue subject. He would keep his distance and maintain his respect for her. Maybe that was his test. If Denar could do this, so could he.  
Immediate matters drew him back to attention. Denar was telling them about what he and Kyrnis had found.   
“The leaks here aren’t bad. At least, not on this level. We can patch them well enough to protect us until we can get out. We may have to go in through the air vents, though, to be sure no damage has been done to the air exchange and filtration system. And we’ll be further testing the water supply, of course. Nobody drink or wash in water from the taps until we’re satisfied it hasn’t been contaminated.”  
Susannah was looking around at the mess on the floor. Denar nodded to her. “We’ll all help with cleanup, Matara. I’m very sorry some of your artifacts were damaged. Just tell us what needs to be done.”  
She gave him a faint smile. “Thanks. Do you know if it was bombs?”  
Denar shook his head. “Not with certainty. I checked your seismic instruments. If I read them right, it wasn’t an earthquake. It could have been a landslide.” His brows drew down. “We can only do so much, Matara. I’m sorry. It’s a good thing you’ll be getting out soon. It will take much more extensive work to make this place habitable.”  
“I’ll do the work.” Her tone was firm. “It’s my job.”  
“You may certainly help us while we’re here.” Denar gave her a sharp look. “But you will be coming up with us.”  
“No, I have to stay here. Now more than ever.”  
Tynevek saw another battle brewing between the stubborn pair and stepped in between them. “I’ve worked with lab instruments and materials, Susannah. Why don’t you and I go assess conditions in your lab?”  
“No.” Her chin went up and those blue-green eyes boldly met Denar’s. “I am in charge of the Collection. What I say goes. You are not the government. I am bound by a promise to protect and foster the Project. You need to understand: I’m staying.”  
Denar’s eyes went dark. This time, Kyrnis put his bulk between them. “This is a good time to eat. Denar, Tynevek made midday meal. You and I will prepare evening meal. We’ll have to clean up in the kitchen before we can cook.”  
Denar’s look was blankly furious for a long moment as he and Susannah locked eyes. Finally, he shook himself and stalked from the room. Kyrnis sauntered after him, shaking his head.   
Tynevek let out a breath. “Matara Susannah, I’m sorry my Dramok is so insistent. He is very dedicated to the rescue effort. He’s concerned for your safety.”  
She turned to him, her gentle smile back in place. “It’s all right. He’s just stubborn and used to being the boss. He’ll see reason soon.”  
Suns! She was underestimating Denar by miles. Then again, perhaps they were all underestimating the determination and loyalty of their lovely host.  
“Well. This decision can certainly wait. Let’s take a look at your instruments. I’m interested in seeing more of your lab.”  
They were in the lab for an hour. Tynevek was again impressed by how knowledgeable Susannah was about so many things. When she was working, she had a laser-like focus, so that whatever she addressed, it had her full attention. Still, he couldn’t help thinking, what price was she paying to be down here, even in her element?  
“This place is set up for many people.” Tynevek watched as she checked her electron microscope. It was primitive by Kalquorian standards but he knew that ordinarily, few Earther female would have been allowed near one. Susannah was a wonder and a mystery. “What happened to all the others, Matara?”  
She answered as she peered at the scope, examining it for damage. “Some quit. Some left to obtain more artifacts. They didn’t return. The rest died.” Her soft voice was even quieter.   
“I’m very sorry, Susannah. That must have been difficult for you.” There had to have been nearly fifty people here at one time, he thought, maybe more. Could they all have died at once? “Was it the war? Or was there some illness?”  
She nodded as she tested the armatures of the scope. “It was an accident. Government scientists were working with new strains of influenza, looking to use it against an invasion. So they said. One of our agents was exposed, and he brought it down here with him. It went through the Collection like a brush fire.”  
“You have no vaccines against influenza? I thought that was stamped out on Earth long ago.”  
“They’d stored the virus, then manipulated it in the lab. It was new and virulent and few people had any immunities built up against it, let alone a vaccine. It wiped out thousands, I understand, before the stupid bastards were finally forced to release the vaccine.”   
Her usually soft voice was brittle with anger. He couldn’t see her face as she bent over some slide cases but he saw the bright flush on her cheeks. To think that that same government had been so careless as to unleash a deadly virus into the population made it doubly monstrous. It was tantamount to genocide. Hell, it was suicide!   
It was almost impossible to fathom. His home world was fighting for every life it had and here on Earth they seemed to have been throwing away their abundant life with both hands. It was difficult even for the empathetic Imdiko to grasp.  
“Susannah.” He spoke softly, stepping toward her.  
She straightened and faced him. Her beautiful eyes were stricken but her mouth was firm, her tone even, almost hard. “I had to promess them. All of them.”   
He sought for a definition. “Promession. It is a means of processing bodily remains by freezing them, yes?”  
She nodded, tersely. “There were only two of us left when it was all over. We took care of all of them, and nursed them, only to watch them die. Then they were gone and we were left to deal with their bodies. Over two dozen, including my papa’s.”  
“Oh, Matara, I am so sorry.” He ached to go to her, to wrap his arms around her and comfort her but he didn’t dare. She wasn’t ready to trust him.   
“I managed. I survived.” Her gentle voice was taut with emotion. “Not long after the bombs fell on the storehouse, Lena, the last of the others, died.”  
His jaw almost dropped. “So when you said you moved to the lower level after the bombing, you meant it was just the two of you?” He tried to keep the horror out of his voice.   
She nodded. “I’m the only one left. I am sole Curator of Storehouse Beta, North American Sector. I’m the one who has to carry on.”  
He was at a loss for words. No wonder she was willing to stand up to Denar. Her very soul was invested here.   
“Susannah, I am sorry that all that happened to you. You are very brave. And dedicated. I understand now why you are so attached to this place.”  
She turned back to her slides. “So, now you know. I won’t change my mind. I’m staying.”  
Kyrnis stuck his head in the door. “Evening meal is ready, my friends.”  
“Come, Matara Susannah. I’m famished.” Tynevek smiled to help cover his sadness. He sensed that Susannah Talcott might mistake his sadness for pity. Such a brave and determined woman would not welcome that emotion on her behalf. “Let’s go eat.”   
They headed for the stairs. He let Kyrnis and Susannah go ahead of him. He had a new and profound respect for this woman. She was beautiful and feminine and smart, but most of all, she was strong and loyal. She’d faced horrors that no one should have to contemplate and she was still upright, sane, and determined to control her own destiny.   
By all moons and suns, he wanted her. Even in his sorrow for her story, his desire was acute. Her strength in the face of adversity only attracted him more.   
Denar had a huge fight in store. Tynevek knew their leader was right and she couldn’t be left down here alone. He was damned if he knew how his Dramok would manage it, though, short of knocking her out and dragging her away. But if he did, would Susannah’s devoted heart ever recover? Would she ever forgive them for being Kalquorians, the race that had triggered the ultimate destruction of her home world? Also, despite his need and right to direct this mission, Denar wasn’t heartless himself. Hurting her would be a blow to the Dramok’s ingrained need to protect and support females.  
Everything about this particular rescue mission was a unique challenge: the location, the circumstances, and the remarkable, lovely woman who aroused them and who, he suspected, was every bit as tough as she was desirable and intelligent. He followed her up the stairs, enjoying the view of her backside and smothering the growl that rose in his chest. Oh, yes, his clan was in for a very interesting, trying few days.

C2, S3  
Denar gaped at Tynevek. “She had to promess them all? Even her father?”   
Tynevek nodded. “Susannah and one other young woman, who died not long after the first bombs fell on the storehouse. Since then, she’s been alone until today, when we arrived.”  
Denar felt almost sick. He’d been through harsh experiences in his life, some of them here, on Earth. But he’d been trained to face those events and most often he had had companions. Susannah was a young woman, and a scholar, not a soldier. The idea of her having to cope with such a crisis virtually alone was a nightmare.   
He growled as he and Kyrnis put together the platform they’d fashioned for their bed. The lights were slowly dimming throughout the storehouse, as the illumination system sought to mimic the change from day into night in this sunless, moonless place. It was a common procedure on many space flights, too, so it wasn’t a surprise. The lower light was actually easier on their more acute Kalquorian vision.   
Kyrnis paused in his work. “Poor Matara. I want to take her away from here. Now.”  
Tynevek raised his hands. “That’s the thing. You can see why she’s so attached to the storehouse. It’s not only her home but she’s invested herself, every part of her, into this place. Those are difficult bonds to break.”  
Denar’s appreciation for the woman increased. “She’s a survivor in every sense. And you’re right, my Imdiko. We can’t just tear her out of here. It would be like tearing off a part of her.” He shot a nail into the frame they’d put together of sturdy wooden packing crates.   
Kyrnis sat back on his heels. “You said you thought there was something wrong with her, Denar.”  
Denar paused, the nail gun hovering over the frame. “Yes. But I’m not clear on what it is, exactly.”  
“I think I know.”  
Denar looked at Tynevek. He’d learned long ago to listen to his Imdiko when it came to understanding the emotions of others. Tynevek’s brows drew down in concern.   
“I don’t think she knows about Armageddon.”  
Denar squeezed his eyes shut and set down the gun. “I didn’t want to say it, but that’s what I think, too. I’ve been avoiding the subject.”  
“She knows about the war, she knows about the Empire and the struggle over Mataras, but I don’t think she knows that there were nuclear explosions in major cities everywhere on Earth. I certainly don’t believe she knows how it happened.”  
Kyrnis looked thoughtful. “She told me her com system hasn’t been working well.”  
“And we know communications have been damaged all over the planet.” Denar ran a hand over the side of his face. “She’s been totally cut off.”  
Tynevek dropped to his knees and began to help build. “Armageddon or not, she doesn’t want to leave. We’re supposed to allow the Earthers their choice about being rescued, if they’re adults and healthy.”  
“It’s not right.” Kyrnis glared at the tool in his hand as if it was the source of the injustice.   
“No, but it is part of our mission. We aren’t here to force people.”  
Denar growled as he took up his nail gun again. “She can’t stay here alone without suffering psychological damage. She’s already starving, you said so yourself. We don’t even know what caused the rock fall here today. How can we leave her here in good conscience?”   
Kyrnis’ jaw tightened. “She wouldn’t choose to die on Earth.”  
“I believe that, but she’s unaware of the full danger to her. But I have an idea. It’s a temporary fix but it may allow us time to convince her to leave of her own accord.” Tynevek handed a clip of nails to Kyrnis.  
“A fix?” Denar sat back on his haunches.   
“It may be a while until we can get out of here. What do you say we drop the subject of her leaving and simply concentrate on helping her with repairs and such? Befriend her. She has to have been lonely and I think she needs it. It will give me time to see her better-nourished, too. Getting her healthy might be another tool to help us persuade her.”  
A corner of Denar’s mouth turned down. “It also might make her more resistant. She’s smart enough to be suspicious of our motives.”   
“Maybe. But she may still welcome what we have to offer for the time being. Later, we can broach the subject of leaving. For now, let’s try to win her trust.”  
Denar thought this over for a moment. “When do we tell her about Armageddon?”  
Tynevek shrugged. “I think this tactic might be how we can ease her into that news. When she trusts us more, she might be more ready to accept it. As it is now, I’m afraid she’ll think we’re just making it up to trick her into leaving the storehouse.”  
Denar sent several more nails into the frame before he spoke again. He lined up each one and aimed with great care as he considered. “I agree to your plan, Tynevek. We will be gentler with her. Win her trust.”  
Kyrnis brightened. “We get to woo the Matara?”   
“No, dammit!” Denar shook his head. He couldn’t allow this to get out of hand. “No wooing. No seducing. No touching the rescue subject except in an emergency. We know the rules and we’ll abide by them. Tynevek said to befriend her. We can do that without taking her to bed.”  
“But she would be very nice to take to bed.” Kyrnis looked as wistful as a tough Nobek could manage. Denar and Tynevek both growled. Kyrnis lifted his hands in surrender. “You’re right. Best not to think about that.”  
They finished the platform bed and covered it with rugs and cushions. They found a few blankets and tossed them onto the bed, though three big, warm male bodies would likely provide enough heat to keep them comfortable in the temperate storeroom they’d chosen for their sleeping quarters.   
Later, as Denar lay in the dark, flanked by his sleeping clanmates, he couldn’t take his mind off Susannah Talcott. Why? Was it just her stubborn refusal to accede to his wishes that irritated him so much and kept her at the forefront of his thoughts? Was it his lust for a female, so long denied these past years on Earth, where females were plentiful but also off-limits? Was it the novelty of finding her, an educated, spirited, young woman in a world where often women had been denied education and had had their spirits beaten into the ground by overbearing, fanatical males? Or was it simply his ingrained need for control, his Dramok instincts?   
He shifted on the bed. Her story had touched his heart and he’d felt immediately the impulse to race to get her the hell out from underground.   
Damn, but he hated being below. Small spaces, even the confines of prolonged space travel didn’t bother him, but being down under things made him sweat. He hoped he could manage his anxiety while they were trapped here. It had been three years. He should be past this by now. He would have to face this before they went home. Kalquor was passionate about preserving its natural beauty and built their homes inside the many mountains of his world. He’d have to accept being under rock.  
He ground his teeth. He hated the weakness of his fear. He needed to be strong. For his clan. For the mission. For...Susannah.  
There she was again, foremost in his thoughts. His cocks stirred and he wanted to groan. She was a rescue subject, he told himself. She was a stubborn brat. She was emotionally wounded. She was far too complicated to even consider as a bed-partner, because he knew instinctively that for her, sex would be much more than just bodies coupling.  
Yet he was hard, aching.  
He didn’t want this. He didn’t need this.   
A warm hand took hold of him. He reached out to touch Tynevek’s shoulder. “You don’t have to, my Imdiko. I’m all right.”  
“You need release,” Tynevek murmured sleepily. “I will take care of you.”  
“I know,” Denar said gently. “But I’ll be all right this time.”  
“Wake me if you need me, my Dramok. I can give you something for sleep. You need rest.”  
“Thank you. Go back to sleep.”  
He listened for his Imdiko’s breathing to slow and grow quiet. He turned over and practiced a calming technique and at last his eyes closed. The problem of Susannah Talcott would not get the better of him, he vowed as he drifted into sleep. He wouldn’t allow it.  
The next morning, he found her already up, smelling sweet and clean, her long hair still damp from her shower. She was sitting at the kitchen table, wearing her rad suit and nibbling a slice of toasted bread. He frowned at her meager morning meal. Dammit, she was not going to starve on his watch!   
He stalked across the room and began to rummage through the cold storage unit. He found bird eggs, some kind of pink, salty-smelling meat, and cow butter. He pulled these out, then found a few fresh vegetables and a piece of some sort of fruit pie. He piled them all on the counter and began to cook. Grumbling under his breath, he found plates and utensils and a bag of something he knew Earthers loved. But he had no idea how to prepare it, so he put it back. Maybe one of his clanmates knew how to cook the roasted pits of coffee seeds into a drinkable liquid.   
When he was finished and turned to the table with two plates heaped high with food, he saw Susannah regarding him like some new species she’d just discovered. Which, he supposed, he was. He plopped a plate down in front of her and took a seat across the table, scowling. He pointed. “Eat all of it. You need more food.”  
She looked down at the full plate and swallowed, hard. She looked a little green, which he knew wasn’t the right color for an Earther. She didn’t eat.  
He growled. “What?”   
She made an odd, gulping sound. “Too much. I’ll be sick if I eat all that.”  
He looked at her plate. His irritation softened. She’d been starving. Her small stomach wouldn’t tolerate that much food, and moreover, she wasn’t an adult Kalquorian male.  
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Matara.” He took her plate back to the counter and scraped half of it onto another plate. He brought her the rest. “Here.”  
“Thank you.” Her smile was genuinely sweet and the green tinge left her peachy complexion. “I’m not much of a cook. This is very nice.”  
“You’re welcome.” He began to eat.  
She tasted her food and smiled at him again. His heart melted. He just couldn’t stay angry under the force of that smile.   
“Sorry to be so stern. I can be—what’s the word? Gripe-y?”  
“Grouchy? Grumpy?”  
“Which is like a bear with a sore paw?”  
She giggled and he felt his arousal stir at the delightful, feminine sound. He’d only encountered it in Earthers and Susannah’s was especially charming. He would love to hear that sound in his ear during bed-play.   
By the ancients, she was quickly wiping out last night’s resolve!  
She tapped a finger to her chin. “Grouchy, I think.”   
He nodded. “Yes. I can be grouchy in the morning.”   
“You’re an early riser.” She chewed her eggs thoughtfully. “That makes sense.”  
“Oh? Why is that?”  
“Because you’re such a hard-charger. I watched you yesterday. You go after what you want, full speed ahead. I’ll bet your friends can hardly keep up with you.”  
He snorted. “I think you mean they can hardly put up with me. I’m told I can be the hole of an ass, sometimes.”  
She choked. “Hole of an ass?” Her eyes danced as she coughed into her napkin.   
He frowned. “Not the right words?”  
Her laughter bubbled up and if he thought her giggles were delightful, he didn’t think he’d ever heard a more intoxicating sound than her laugh. It went straight to the center of him and made him wish he could make her do it again, right away. Then, he’d pull off her clothes and lick her from head to toe. Right before he sank into her—  
“Asshole.”  
He started. “What?”  
“I think the term you’re looking for is asshole, not hole of an ass.” Her words yanked him back from his sexual reverie. “It’s not a term of endearment.”  
He thought about it for a moment and then he got it. “Ahh. I see the difference. And yes, the term I was seeking was asshole.” Whew.  
She nodded. “My Papa could be like that. But he was grouchy in the afternoons, not mornings. Mama arranged it so someone brought him a roll and tea every day at three o’clock.”  
“And did that work?”  
“Oh, yes. Not only did he sweeten up, she said, but it kept his mouth occupied for a while so he couldn’t snap at everyone.”  
He chuckled. “An elegant solution.”  
“Are you a soldier?”   
Abrupt change of topic. What a mind she had! “Officially, I’m a captain in the Imperial air corps. I serve on what I think you call spaceships.”  
She looked rapt. “And flying in space, is it exciting?”  
“I think so. It makes some people sick. Others find it boring, and it can be. There’s a lot of time spent just sailing through blackness.”  
“Have you been to other places besides Kalquor and Earth?”  
He pointed to her plate. “Eat, Matara. And yes, I’ve been to several other planets and systems in your galaxy and mine.”  
“Another galaxy.” She took a bite of pie and munched, eyes dreamy. “Space travel is limited to our military forces and some trade ships,” she said after she swallowed. “Earth women haven’t gone into space for a century or more, except as civilian workers or passengers to the colonies. Have you been to Mars?”  
He shook his head. “Nothing there except a few minerals and we have plenty of those on Kalquor.”  
“If you’re a captain in the air corps, what are you doing here?” She took a quick sip of the tea he’d brought her. “I mean, I know what you’re doing, I just don’t know why.”  
He sat back. He watched her face carefully as he recited the official line, carefully avoiding the subject of Armageddon. “The war has been bad for your planet. We know radiation levels are growing and it’s spreading. We are dedicated to offering rescue and relocation to as many Earth citizens as we can locate.”  
“Does that mean you don’t fly anymore?”   
He relaxed. She wasn’t going to question him about rescues or Armageddon. She was merely asking him about himself. For some reason, that thought cheered him.  
“I fly the small Tri-bus shuttles sometimes while we’re on a mission. And I sometimes pilot the larger shuttle that goes to the main transport ship in orbit.”  
Tynevek came in then, beaming on them both. He sniffed the air. “Something smells good. Are those bird eggs and ham meat?”  
Susannah nodded. “Denar made me breakfast. It’s delicious but I can’t eat it all. You can have the other half.”  
“Thank you, Matara. Thank you, my Dramok.”  
“Denar says you think he’s an asshole in the mornings, but I think he’s just fine.”  
It was Denar’s turn to choke. Tynevek hooted.   
“He’s being polite to impress you, Matara. He’s like a bear with a thorn in its paw most mornings.”  
She grinned at Denar. “That’s just what he said. But I still disagree.”  
Kyrnis entered. “Food. Any left?”  
“Not much. Here, let me help make more.” Susannah rose and went to the stove.   
Denar caught Tynevek eyeing him. He lifted a brow. Tynevek said nothing but his eyes were bright with mischief.   
Naughty Imdiko. After all their years together, his clanmate knew him too well. He knew Denar’s resolve to be strong and he also knew it had been dealt a body-blow within less than an hour of spending time alone with Susannah.   
Be her friend, he reminded himself. Keep your distance and you’ll be fine. 

C2, S4  
The Kalquorians were not so bad, Susannah thought, three days later. They’d been polite and helpful and no one had mentioned her needing to leave since that first day. Maybe they’d gotten the message and understood she wasn’t going to be moved. She didn’t enjoy arguing with them.   
After the second day spent patching and repairing, Kyrnis and Denar had inspected the passage to the surface, but had come back looking dark and frustrated. She and Tynevek prepared lunch. The other two sat at the kitchen table while the Denar reported.   
“The route we took down here is completely blocked just a few feet from the entry. I’m not certain, but it looks like the rockfall extends all the way back to the surface.”  
She turned from the cooker to look at them, then bit her lip. They really were trapped. Now what?  
Kyrnis leaned toward her. “Is there another entry, Matara?”  
She thought for a moment. If they really were blocked in at the front, then it was no use not to tell them everything. Protocols were going by the wayside all the time, it seemed. If she wanted them gone, they had to find a way out.   
She shook her head. “The other exit was connected to a tunnel that extended far south from the storehouse. It collapsed even before the flu epidemic. We were pretty sure it was structural weakness, but we never had the means…or the people required to go in, examine it, and make extensive repairs.”  
“Where is this exit?”   
She walked to the table and drew an air sketch above the tabletop with her fingertip. “The entry’s on the next to lowest level, southeast wall, beyond the storage area. It’s blocked in with crates and pallets marked as canned goods and toiletries. They were the last Collection artifacts we received. Lena and I managed to get the forklift working long enough to put them in place, for the sake of security.”  
Denar pursed his lips. “In all the confusion, we overlooked it entirely. We saw no sign of it on our way in from the outside, though we came in from the south of here. It’s already overgrown, would be my guess.”  
“The entry to the tunnel was inside an old hangar, through a trap hidden in the floor. Miles from here.”  
“Not a bad ruse.” Kyrnis glanced at Denar. “Do you want to explore?”  
Denar was slow to answer. “I guess we’d better. If there’s an easier way than digging our way out with a spoon, we need to find it. We’ll need some sounding equipment so we can we can determine what’s on the other side we go tunneling.”   
“Matara Susannah, do you have anything to do sonic testing?”  
“We have one or two computing tomography scanners. They’re essential underground as we are.”  
“Perfect. Show me after midday meal, please?”  
“Thank you, Matara.” Denar rubbed his forehead.  
Tynevek moved quickly to place a dish of roasted nuts in front of Denar. “Here. Start on these. Susannah and I will have the rest of lunch ready in a moment.”   
Susannah caught a flicker of worry cross the Imdiko’s handsome face, then it was wiped away in a smile for her. “Matara Susannah and I found many preserved vegetables and even some frozen meats, so we’ve made soup.”   
Susannah thought he was trying to distract his clanmates but she wasn’t sure why. She simply nodded and turned back to slicing bread to go with the thick, aromatic soup Tynevek was stirring.   
After lunch, they all went down to Level Six. She was surprised and delighted when Kyrnis got the forklift up and running in blink. She’d thought it was utterly dead. She watched anxiously as Denar maneuvered the vehicle around the crates and boxes, but he had a deft touch with the lift and soon had a path safely cleared to the wall.   
Tynevek smiled down at her. “My Dramok is an excellent pilot. I’ve seen him fly a shuttle through an orchard.”  
She giggled. “That must have been something.”   
The tall doctor looked like he was going to move closer, then changed his mind and turned back to watch as Kyrnis joined Denar and they examined the vast entry doors. Susannah noticed they checked radiation levels before anything else. Why were they so worried about radiation, especially down here? She guessed it was probably just their way. Perhaps there was a lot of excess radioactivity on Kalquor.  
“Matara.” Denar motioned to her. “Does this keypad still work?”  
She trotted over to them. “I’m not sure.”  
Denar stepped aside and she entered the code for the door--the last one she recalled was the date of the Battle of Hastings:1066. They listened as the door-mechanism whirred, clicked, died.   
“The pad may work, but it looks like the mechanicals have been damaged.” Denar nodded to Kyrnis. “Diagnostics?”  
Kyrnis pulled up a box full of electronic parts he’d selected from the storehouse supply shelves. He had put together some sort of a meter that Susannah didn’t recognize, although it looked to be part metal detector and part thermal sensing device. He raised the wand and ran it over the surface of the door, as much of it as he could reach. It hummed, then seemed to stutter.   
The big Nobek nodded. “Broken circuit in the relay system. I don’t know how we can get to it without taking apart the whole door.”  
Denar squinted around. “No chance you could finagle the keypad?”  
“Won’t help. These are old-fashioned circuit wires and I don’t know how they are laid out. I’d have to figure out a shortcut or a bypass.”  
Tynevek joined them. “Susannah, are there blueprints or circuitry maps in your files?”  
“I can look.”  
Kyrnis looked relieved. “Show me, please, little one.”  
“Right this way, big one.” She blushed furiously at her own silliness and hurried away. She was actually flirting, wasn’t she? Chuckles followed after her, then Kyrnis was at her side.   
They spent a short time in the Engineering library, locating the blueprints. There were several, as the storehouse had grown in sections and by levels.   
“These should do the trick, little one.” He stood up from where he’d been leaning over a pair of prints of Level Six, old Level One and the south tunnel. “These are just what I needed.”  
“I’m glad.” She felt herself coloring up again under his warm regard. She looked down, moving toward the door.   
“Wait.”  
She halted, turned, and looked up at the giant who seemed to take up so much room even in so large a space. His grin softened to a smile.   
“Thank you, Susannah. I know you don’t like having us here. You didn’t have to help me. To help us.”  
She tried to look away but his deep cat-eyes held hers. He didn’t look nearly so ferocious right now. “You’re welcome. I can use the information about that entry.”  
He swept a hand and ushered her out and down to Level Six. She smiled to herself as she walked beside him. She liked the doctor and now she thought she might like the Nobek, too.   
As for Dramok Denar, that remained to be seen.   
While Kyrnis set to work on the door, Tynevek set up the CT scanning equipment. Restless, Susannah went to some of the nearby stacks of cartons and began to check them. She was pleased to see none of them showed any damage from the recent upheavals.   
“Those really are what the label says?”  
She glanced up at Denar as she made notes on nearby electronic ledger. “Indigenous North American artifacts? Yes, I’m sure. The manifest says this is a vest made of beads, feathers, and quills.” She pressed in the code for the carton and up popped a photo of a handsome piece, centuries old, with bits of leather and silver fasteners, along with fur strips. “Yes, this looks like it would be from the Plains areas.”  
“A warrior might wear this?”  
“Possibly. But many people wore them, even children.” She smiled with satisfaction. “It’s so good to have this. I only wish we had space to display it.”  
“Losing the first level took out a lot of area?”  
She shrugged. “Not so much. But it was where we had a library with maps printed on paper and even on animal skins. Very old. The bombs brought down a huge section of the ceiling right on top of the map storage and displays. I haven’t been up there to see if anything was salvageable.”  
He moved restlessly. “Because of the risks?”  
“Yes. But also because I have my hands full with the work down here on the other Levels.” She waved a hand around her. “As you can see, there’s always more to be done.”  
“You don’t mind that the top level is demolished? That it might collapse further?”  
She thought she heard a note of worry in his deep voice. “Only a little. You’ve seen the way the storehouse is constructed, though. There are supporting beams and stanchions all through the structure. It will hold.”   
Denar turned away abruptly. “I need to see how my Nobek and my Imdiko are doing.”  
She watched him stride away. He looked disturbed, somehow. Had she angered him again?  
She sighed. Denar might be grouchy in the mornings but he was touchy in the afternoons, as well. Or maybe he was angry again that she wanted to stay in the storehouse. It was impossible to tell with the tough Kalquorian.   
When she rejoined them, the men were viewing a scan that fed them information about the mechanism for the door. She joined them as Kyrnis raised the image into the air above his handheld.   
“It’s not good, my Dramok. There are at lease five places where the circuit has been cut completely and it looks like several other circuits have been damaged. We could take the whole door apart but we can’t be sure what’s on the other side.”  
“More rock.” Denar’s sharp brows angled downward. “It might bring down the area outside of the door if we go blasting through.”  
“That could happen on the area where we came in, too.” Tynevek studied the image. “But I see what you mean. Susannah, you said the tunnel reaches for miles?”  
She nodded. “Almost seven miles. The builders co-opted an old mine shaft and then dug further to reach here. There could be cave-ins all along the route.”  
“And would take forever. And our team won’t expect us to be seven or more miles out of our way.” Denar rubbed the back of his neck. “No, we have to keep with the original plan and try to get out the way we came in. Kyrnis, what’s the status on contact with the others?”  
Kyrnis looked grim. “Not so good. I have more things I can try, but so far, nothing.”  
“Keep at it. We’ll have another look up at Level Two in an hour.”   
Denar strode off. Susannah stood with the other two, watching as they exchanged quick, concerned looks. Kyrnis clapped his hands.  
“Guess I’m off to work on the com again. My Imdiko, what’s your plan?”  
“I’m going to help Susannah clean up more of the things that were knocked about in the explosion, then help Denar on Level Two. What do you say we all convene later to prepare evening meal together?”  
They agreed on a time and Kyrnis went off to try again to raise their scouting party and Susannah and Tynevek went up to Level Four, to check on the history displays. She was pleased to see that very few pieces had been disturbed in any of the small period sets displayed there. The damages seemed more structural cracks here and there rather than destruction of the Collection. That was a great relief. Tynevek helped her replace the few items that had been shaken down or out of place, but she noticed he took several readings of the cracks with his scanner.   
Over the past days, she had enjoyed making meals with the men, though it was a little daunting to work among such tall, imposing bodies. She realized she’d begun to relax around the Kalquorians. She could almost forget they were set on taking her away from here. They seemed genuinely interested in the Collection and while they worked, they patiently answered her many questions about their world. She gleefully started a file in her data systems, adding information gleaned from firsthand accounts of life on Kalquor. So much to know!  
After the evening meal, she showed them how to play ping pong in the large rec room. They took to it like naturals, though they had to stand yards back from the table. If they didn’t, the ball would flatten if it hit the table, or the wall. Once, it even flattened in the air from the force of Kyrnis’ paddle and simply dropped, with a plak, onto the table.   
He told her about kurble, the sport on his planet that was favored by Nobeks. She was horrified to learn the ball they used not only had spurs on it but the tips were poisoned.   
“Don’t worry, Matara. There are always several Imdikos and other medics on the sidelines, ready to administer antidotes and patch us up.”  
She considered it. “I suppose it isn’t all that shocking. In Mesoamerica, there was a game in which the players struck a nine-pound, solid rubber ball with just their hips. The games were a big deal and sometimes even included human sacrifice as part of the tournaments.”  
It was the Nobek’s turn to look horrified. But she could also see excitement in the depths of his eyes. Bloody, dangerous play seemed to arouse something bestial in him. She shivered, but she was also intrigued. Kalquorians were just plain fascinating.  
She turned on the projection system one evening and they watched old vids together. The clan seemed especially interested in Die Hard, the action “movie” from long, long ago, as well as some of the newer adventure vids. They cheered for the heroes, hissed the villains, and hooted with satisfaction whenever a bad guy met a bloody end. They were spellbound by Shakespeare’s Henry V and openly mourned at the scene where the young boys were discovered slaughtered. They fell into solemn silence when the English troops went over the battlefield gathering their fallen comrades in their arms.   
They really get into stories, she thought. It was something she had in common with them: stories were very important in both their cultures.   
She looked around at their big bodies sprawled over the rugs in the rec room and sighed. Okay, life was more than just stories and data. Their physical presence was beginning to get to her. There was the world of the flesh, after all. They were so damn gorgeous, she thought for the hundredth time: long and sleek, muscled and strong. She so wanted to touch their smooth brown skin, slide her fingers through their dark hair. If she could just touch them, that would satisfy her curiosity, she was sure.   
But they’d never so much as patted her shoulder. All right, Kyrnis had tackled her that first day and once he’d yanked her out of the way of falling plaster, but that was all. Tynevek had sheltered her under the table during the explosions. Those events certainly hadn’t had anything to do with sex, though. And Denar had never so much as brushed her arm in passing.  
She knew that Earthers and Kalquorians were sexually compatible. She knew enough about her body to know she wanted them sexually. But how to go about getting what she wanted?   
She wondered for what seemed the thousandth time what it would be like to make love with a man. Of course, she knew how it was done, at least within her species. Her papa and other women in the project had made sure she was well-educated about sex and they’d taught her that sex was good, normal, and healthy, including self-pleasuring. They’d made it clear that sex with someone you cared deeply for was what making love was all about and it was the best sex of all. Would it be as glorious as they assured her? Was it like what was described in romance books? Would she ever fall in love?  
She almost snorted at the notion. She knew the difference between fantasy and reality. Fall in love? She’d calculated her chances, given how she was living, and the results said slim to none.   
Her thoughts--and eyes--strayed to Tynevek and his marvelous face and kindly ways. He’d be a very sweet lover, she thought. Those perfect lips looked like they’d give wonderful kisses.   
Then there was Kyrnis, whose body she’d felt twice now. How different his body was from hers! What would it be like to explore those magnificent muscles and that sleek, warm flesh?  
Denar. Denar gave her the shivers. Even when he smiled, he looked dangerous. Would he be dangerous in bed? She giggled. He’d be bossy, she knew that much.  
She sighed. This was all just a dream. She was no Kalquorian woman or some exotic female from one of those other planets they’d visited. She wasn’t someone who could please these men. She was just Susannah of Earth. Nothing like the exciting, foreign clan that had invaded her home.   
Still, curiosity drove her. She needed to do what she did well: she needed to get educated about Kalquorians.


	3. Chapter 3

ALIEN RESCUE--Fan fiction inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER THREE

C3, S1  
Kyrnis swore at the cobbled-together com system he’d set up in their quarters. Four days and there was still no response from either their Earth-based forces or the transport ship that waited above the planet. It was as if the outer world had vanished.  
“Where the hell are they?” He glowered at the mess of cables and links he’d added to his tablet computer.   
“You’ll get through.” Tynevek came up behind him to look at his work. “It may be an atmospheric interference.”  
“Or maybe they’re all dead.” Kyrnis’ usually buoyant personality had been blunted. He hated feeling confined and powerless.  
Tynevek’s hand rested on his shoulder for a moment. “You’re the best there is for making something from chewing gum and baling wire.”   
Kyrnis snorted at the Earther expression Susannah had taught them. He’d been revolted by the notion of what she called bubble gum, but baling wire made sense.   
Tynevek continued. “Keep trying. There’s reason to hope.”   
“It’s been too long. I’m out of ideas. I want to get Susannah out of here.” He scowled. “I want Denar out of here.”  
“I know. I do, too.” Tynevek sat cross-legged on their sleeping platform, re-fusing a seam in one of their formsuits. “Though he seems to be coping well, despite being so far underground.”  
Kyrnis faced his Imdiko. “I don’t want him to suffer anymore.”  
Tynevek’s face was grave. “Nor do I. It was all he could do to hide his anxiety when we came down that rockfall into the storehouse. Fortunately, he had an immediate distraction.”  
“Susannah.” Kyrnis had looked up the name. He grinned. “Susannah means lily. It is a beautiful flower.”   
He felt a surge of desire rocket up his spine at the mention of their host, the Curator. The pretty female with the long, gold-bronze hair and the tender smile was becoming a torment for his long-denied hungers. He’d caught glimpses of her when she went to the swimming pool and the contours of her form outlined by her snug soak-suit had been so alluring, he’d had to step away, his arousal straining against his formsuit.  
The need for a soft body, one that held sweet, moist secrets so welcoming to his hardness was biting into him day and night. He sensed that Susannah in particular, with her lovely eyes and stunningly desirable form, was a perfect answer to those needs.   
“Kyrnis, don’t.” Tynevek groaned and slapped at the air, which was growing scented with cinnamon-y arousal. “I know what you’re thinking.”   
“Tell me you don’t want her.”  
Tynevek bit his lip. He looked beseechingly at his clanmate, then his shoulders sagged. “I want her so much I feel like an adolescent, always hard, always aching for her. I’ve even dreamed about her and almost come in my sleep. But we can’t have her and that’s all.”  
Kyrnis wrestled with his hopes and his doubts. “Do you think she wants us even a little bit?”   
Tynevek rubbed his neck. “I can’t tell. I’m like you, I’ve never had an Earther female. Most of the ones we’ve met here have had their sexual natures distorted almost beyond recall. I don’t know how a normal Earther acts when she desires sex.”  
“My brother and his clan say Earthers can be very passionate. Their Matara fulfills all their needs, in every way. Can you imagine?”  
“Kyrnis, you’re killing me! Hell, yes, I can imagine a million ways to fulfill our needs with Susannah.” He finished his mending, rose in one graceful movement and went to hang the suit over a peg in the wall.  
“Denar wants her.”  
“Did he tell you that?” Tynevek returned to the sleeping platform.  
“Does he have to?”  
“No, I suppose not. He’s been awake and hard almost every night we’ve been here. He showers alone and I imagine he relieves his needs while he’s there. He refuses my offers to give him release.”  
“Mine, too.”  
“I think his desire is solely for a female right now and who could blame him? I think he’s uncomfortable lusting after a rescue subject. He’s as smitten with Susannah as we are, but he’ll never abandon his duty.”  
Kyrnis turned back to his com gear. After a moment, he asked, “So, you think her desire for sex is normal?”  
“Have you peeked into some of the books she keeps in her sleeping room?” Tynevek’s voice was lighter, amused. “Many of them are about men and women and their sex together. I think it’s safe to say Susannah has a healthy appetite for sex. Or, at least an interest in sex.”  
Kyrnis banged his head on the desktop. “Fates save me. We find the one woman on Earth with normal desires, we’re alone with her in this place, and we cannot touch her.”  
“We have each other. We always have.”  
“Is that enough for you, especially with Susannah around? We all prefer females.”  
Tynevek shook his head. “No, it isn’t enough. I’m not criticizing, my Nobek, but while sex with my clan is always good, it’s no substitute for being deep inside a woman. I’ve been told that Earther females are every bit as soft and warm as they look.”  
Kyrnis growled at the image. His sexes stirred and heated just at the thought being deep inside soft, warm Susannah. How was he to survive this test?  
“I’ve got to reach the outside.” His voice was tight. “They have to get us out of here before we three explode. Or disgrace our mission.”

C3, S2  
That evening, Tynevek was in the kitchen, doing cleanup with Susannah. He was enough of a traditionalist that he didn’t like to see a Matara doing housework. On Kalquor, that was a job for the three males of the clan, or, if the clan was well-off, for servants and, of course, machines. Susannah had insisted on doing her share, though, and he found the task was a good opportunity to get to know her better. Part of his mission, he told himself.   
“Where did you live before you came to the storehouse?” He plunged his hands into the soapy water. They had followed her lead in saving power by washing without the aid of an appliance. It was a novel experience.   
“I’ve never lived anywhere else.” She put the dry dish into the storage space.   
“You’ve—you were born down here?”  
“Yes.”  
“But your mother, didn’t she go to a birthing center/hospital to give birth?” He’d read that was the way most Earther women managed childbirth.   
“No. I was told I was in a big hurry to arrive, so, even if they had wanted to take my mama up above, they never would have made it. There was a doctor and a midwife living with us at that time and they delivered me.”  
“There were other children to play with?”  
“Some of the time, yes. There were seven of us in all when I was little, all of us born in the storehouse.” She took another plate from him and applied the towel. “It was a good time. We all studied together, and the adults took turns teaching us and taking care of us.” Her face looked wistful at the memory.   
“Did the other children get the influenza?”   
“No. By the time the virus came down here, Lena and I were the only two of the five children left, and we were adults by then, of course.” She dried a pot, staring ahead. “When the others were close to their teens, their parents decided they simply couldn’t let them grow up without knowing more of their world. They wanted them to have more choices of friends and mates. They went up. I’ve often wondered what happened to them.”  
“It sounds like you had a large family down here before they left.”   
She gave a brief smile. “Yes. We had some wonderful times. Holidays and birthdays were so much fun. We always celebrated Christmas by reading aloud Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales. We had a big tree and all of us kids got to decorate it with ornaments we’d made. Some of them were bug-ugly but our parents never let on.”  
“Bug-ugly.” He tried the expression and grinned. “Nice sound. I like that.”  
“Some people would say butt-ugly instead.”  
“Are butts ugly for Earthers?”  
She giggled and he rejoiced to hear it.   
“No. At least, not to me. But then, I like bugs, too, so I’m no judge.”  
“I think butts are very nice.”   
She looked away suddenly and busied herself putting away the cups. “Anyway, we had some great times back then.”  
“It sounds nice. But you never went outside?”  
“Oh, no, I went out. Papa took me on three trips outside. One to the mountains, one to the ocean, and one to the desert. There are some beautiful places on our world. I remember Yosemite Park was breathtaking. We were there for four days.”  
Three brief trips, that was the sum of her experience with the outside world. No wonder she was hungry to hear about other places. He drained the sink and dried his hands. They walked to the sitting area and she sat on the lounge with her feet tucked up under her.   
“You never visited any of the cities?” He settled into a chair opposite her.   
She shook her head. “It was too dangerous. There were enough patrols we had to meet just to go into the wilderness areas. You see, we had disappeared. That is, Papa had disappeared from the outside. Everyone in the Project did everything they could to ensure we had no connection to the government, including filing fake death certificates. No identification or birth records or passports; they were all destroyed. Because I was born in the storehouse, I never had any records to begin with. Technically, I don’t exist.”  
He flinched. You exist for me. For my clan, little scholar. If only we could prove it to you.“So, every time you went out, you had to have false identification?”  
“Yes. And we held our breath at every checkpoint. There were only so many times and places where we could travel where they would not do a rigorous check on our papers and eye scans. Finally, things outside were just too crazy and we stopped trying. We added the vid walls so we had many, many views of outside from our data banks. Far more than most people ever see! We set up simulated daylight in many places and it adjusts seasonally. We have the garden and the greenhouse. We were all right.”  
But no fresh air, he wanted to argue. No breeze on your beautiful face. No animals or lakes or forests. Yet, he thought, if that was all she knew, she likely didn’t miss it all that much. But the loss of all her people? That was more serious.  
Once again, he wanted to go to her, to hold her and remind her of what it felt like to touch another living being. Damn the restrictions! Damn his own scruples for holding them to their obligations. Sometimes honor wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.  
“Tynevek.”  
He brought himself out of his dark reverie. “Yes, Susannah?”  
“Would you be willing to share images of Kalquor with me? Do you have a vid I could use on my walls?”  
No! No, you can’t have pictures of Kalquor. I want you to come there and see it for yourself. He forced himself to reply. “Yes, I can do that.”   
“Thank you.”  
They said goodnight not long afterward and he stomped around their sleeping room preparing for bed while Kyrnis and Denar made their security rounds for the night. He’d been caught off guard by the vehemence of his reaction to her simple request for a vid of his home. He’d known he was desperate to get her into his arms and into their bed. He hadn’t known he’d already grown so attached to her.   
He wanted to be happy in his feelings. He might be falling in love with her and he wanted to be in love and glory in it. But the situation was too complicated, too delicate. Even if Susannah were not off limits, there was no guarantee his clanmates shared his emotions toward her, beyond basic desire. They’d taken females, together and separately, and enjoyed them, but as for love, it could end badly if they weren’t united in their feelings. When it came to actually clanning a Matara, it was even more difficult, for all of them had to agree absolutely. He’d heard of clanmates forcing a clanning and it hadn’t turned out well. Clanning was for life and he didn’t take that lightly. He wanted a Matara for life.  
But, he told himself, he didn’t want Susannah for his Matara. Not yet, anyway. He had to let his feelings of affection for her remain unexpressed. He had to stifle his desire for her. He had no choice.   
He growled as he stripped out of his formsuit and stalked to the showers. Denar might eschew his clan’s help to relieve his sexual needs, but if this long, cold shower didn’t work, he’d be turning to them tonight. He ached too much to endure it much longer.

C3, S3  
Susannah sat on her bed, contemplating the page on her reader, her mouth open, eyes wide.   
Twin penises.  
Each Kalquorian man had two penises, according to this picture outlining Kalquorian anatomy. One penis that went into the vagina, and another that would be inserted into the anal passage of his partner. Partners? What that might feel like she couldn’t imagine but it made her shiver, all the same.   
There wasn’t much else in the article. It noted their great size and strength and their practice of clanning in family groups of three males to one female. There was also a vague mention of the males biting females during sex, and injecting a potent intoxicant or a paralyzing agent. She read with especial interest that the three males in each clan usually shared that one female, exclusively. It did not, however, explain the mechanics of how that was managed.  
She sighed. That was the trouble with so many of their references. Most Earther sources described Kalquorians as hideous devils, running around ripping people’s flesh and raping everyone from women and children to livestock and family pets. Godless monsters, all of them. She thought of Clan Denar’s stunning good looks, their unfailing courtesy and friendliness, and their unfeigned interest in her and her work and snickered. If Kalquorians were raping devils, why had Providence sent her a physician, an engineer, and a pilot to be her rapist devils? What sort of devil was a warrior who feared soda pop? Or a leader who cooked for her? Or an alien with eyes so warm and kind, it felt like she could tell him anything and he’d understand?  
She giggled. “Terrifying!”  
She should have known the official sources would get it wrong. Unless, of course, she’d been visited by the only decent Kalquorians in the universe. The statistics on that were implausibly out of balance. It stood to reason that their attitudes had been shaped by the society in which they were raised. That society must be pretty decent, she thought wistfully. Maybe far moreso than her own, from what she was learning.  
Without a fresh feed from other Project members, she had no reliable data on the alien race that had challenged Earth’s isolationist laws, driving Earth to declare war. Certainly there was no data on the ones who’d invaded her home. No news of any rescue or evacuation activity on Earth. She had to make do with what she had and it was pretty limited.  
She studied the picture of the naked male and female, their light cocoa-toned skin rippling with well-defined muscles. Kalquorians were beautiful, she decided. Denar’s clan were nothing if not strong, she thought. And tall. And those bulges in the front of their formsuits, even when quiescent, were formidable. Would those organs fit into her own? Earther women’s organs were quite flexible, she understood, but really, these men far exceeded the term “well-endowed.”   
She set aside the reader and moved restlessly on the bed. Information was all well and good. She was supplied with enough data to at least make an educated guess at how sex with the clan might be conducted. But how would it feel? Would it be like the sex in her beloved romance novels? Would she be squashed under those huge bodies? Would it be painful? Were there parts of the process that would be soft, like kisses? She’d been kissed, once, and had liked it, although the boy who’d kissed her seemed more like a friend or even a brother, after all the years they’d grown up together in the storehouse. Not the same as kissing a lover, she guessed.  
She wanted to have sex with the Kalquorians. Just for one night. She wasn’t about to have a serious relationship. They would have to go—must go—and she would of course stay where she was so there was no point. It would just be for one night.   
Despite the way they kept their distance, she thought perhaps the clan would like to have sex, maybe even with an inexperienced Earther female. The only hitch she could see was their insistence that she was going to be a rescued Earther female and leave the storehouse when their teammates arrived. If there were teammates. Still, would that keep them from sharing sex with her, even if it was only the one time? Denar, especially, seemed angriest when it came to her resolve to keep her vow and stay with the Collection. Would they all reject her on his command?  
“Oh, hell,” she huffed, sliding off the bed. This was getting her nowhere.   
Just one night. They’d be gone soon. If tonight was a disaster, at least she wouldn’t have to face them for long. Besides, she wasn’t some goofy teenager. She was a full-grown woman with needs and desires of her own. Surely they would understand that? In a perfect situation, she might research and think on it more but this was far from perfect. She would have to make do with the data available to her.  
She stripped, showered quickly, then brushed out her hair, and left the room. She moved along the corridor with sure steps, even though the lights were almost all out. She’d grown up here, every place was familiar to her. She found the door to the room the clan had commandeered and paused just outside. Her heart was beating quickly and she was feeling alive to every nuance of the air around her nude body.   
It was now or never.   
She pushed open the door and stepped inside. She couldn’t see them very well, but the clan was sprawled on a pile of carpets and pillows, their big bodies at rest for a change. She took another step into the room, going silently on bare feet.  
“Susannah? Is something wrong?”   
She froze. Her eyes were adjusting to the light, with the aid of the dim glow through the window panel in the door behind her. It was Kyrnis. There was a rustle on the big sleeping mat and she knew the other two aliens had woken and were sitting up to stare at her. With their excellent night vision, she knew they could see her, see her body. There was a soft hiss and a growl. She felt her insides flutter.   
Here goes.   
“Susannah.” It was Denar. “Are you all right?”  
The room seemed to grow warmer. Suddenly, she caught their unique cinnamon scent, could almost taste it on her tongue. She took another step toward them.   
“Stop.” It was Tynevek who spoke now. “If there’s nothing you need help with, Susannah, you need to go back to your room.” His voice sounded deeper than usual. Rougher.   
She shook her head. “I want to be with you.” She gathered her courage. She had every right to ask, didn’t she? “I want to...lie with you.”  
The temperature rose again. The cinnamon scent intensified.   
“Susannah,” Denar said curtly, “go back to your room. Now.”  
“Lock your door,” added Kyrnis.   
She took yet another step closer. “But I do need help. I need to have sex with you. I need to know.”  
Groans and growls. Were those “yes” groans? Or “no” groans?  
Tynevek spoke. “You are an innocent and an Earther subject for rescue and evacuation. You are a virgin, yes?”  
“I am. But I don’t want to be. I want to experience sex.”  
“She’s killing me,” Kyrnis said under his breath.   
She came still closer. “I am inexperienced but I am not an innocent.” She felt her courage gathering. “I’m twenty-four years old and I’ve never been with a man. I want my first time to be with you. You don’t need to protect me.”  
“No, Susannah—”  
“Yes,” hissed Kyrnis.  
“Susannah.” Tynevek again. “Your virginity is a special gift, sweet one. You will want to save it for when you are with your clan.”  
“I want you for my clan. My clan for tonight. I don’t want to wait.” There was a long pause. She tried not to fidget.   
“You are sure?” Denar said, low.   
“I am.”  
“Susannah, do you know what it means to be with the whole clan? What it means to be with Kalquorians?” Tynevek asked. “We aren’t exactly like men of Earth.”  
“You have two penises. And you like to share a female’s body. You are bigger than Earther males. I know all this. I still want to go to bed with you tonight.”  
“Denar.” Kyrnis’ voice seemed full of warning, as if he were on the verge of attacking.  
“Denar?” Tynevek asked softly.   
She waited. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Denar sighed.  
“Yes, Susannah. Come lie with us.”  
She padded to the sleeping mat and sank down, sitting on her knees. “Tell me what to do.”  
Suddenly, she was on her back, big, calloused hands were touching her everywhere, rubbing and stroking and tickling. All of it was gentle and delightful. Her body warmed almost instantly and she felt herself growing moist between her thighs. The familiar scent of cinnamon caught her attention.   
“It’s arousal, isn’t it? Your scent. You smell like cinnamon when you are sexually aroused.”  
Kyrnis chuckled. It was a darker, more sensual laugh than his usually good-natured humor. “Yes, little one. You arouse us. Your sweet body has been tormenting us for days.”  
Denar whispered near her ear. “We have to make you pay for that torment.”   
She shivered. What did he mean?   
Her shivers faded as each man gathered her close and kissed her in turn, stroking her hair and murmuring softly. Their lips were surprisingly soft and warm, and they touched her face lightly, wondering expressions on their handsome faces. She smiled at them. So far, kissing exceeded her expectations.  
Their hands resumed the exciting strokes. Tynevek took her breasts in his warm, long-fingered hands and cupped them with a growl.   
“So soft. So full. You are a delight, little scholar.”  
Denar rose and took her chin in his hand. He held her firmly, staring down at her with dark intensity. She swallowed. He wasn’t hurting her but she felt almost imprisoned by his touch, his gaze. The other two moved back, leaving her with the Dramok.   
“You have never had a man before, Susannah, and we will be gentle with you. Do you understand?”  
She nodded. There was a “but” coming soon, she knew. This was Denar, after all.  
“We will be gentle but you need to know that we are by nature a dominating race. In matters of sex, we will insist on being in charge. You don’t need to worry. It’s not a matter of force, Susannah, but of trust. We need you to trust that we won’t harm you but you must be prepared to allow us to take charge. It’s essential to a Kalquorian male.” His stare became piercing but his voice grew warmer. “Can you do that, little one? Can you trust us to bring you pleasure, even if it means giving up control?”  
She wasn’t entirely sure what he meant. But the idea of letting these three take control was as beguiling as it was scary. She considered for a long moment. She didn’t know anything about sex. What else could she do but let them take charge? It was what she’d asked for, after all. And it was just for the night.  
“Susannah. Will you surrender to us?”   
She looked at Tynevek and Kyrnis, who sat to one side, their faces slightly shadowed, but she could see they were waiting, almost anxiously, for her answer. She wanted their hands back on her. She wanted to know all that was waiting for her in their embrace.  
She nodded. He lifted an eyebrow. She understood his demand. “Yes. I will.”  
She saw the light in Denar’s eyes flash. He smiled and while his smile was lovely, it was also dangerous. She swallowed again.   
“Very well, sweetling.”   
Denar let go of her chin and bent down to kiss her, slowly, tenderly. When he lifted his head, she heard Kyrnis heave a loud groan.   
“Thank the ancients!”   
The other two chuckled and Tynevek was suddenly with her again, peppering tiny kisses all over her face. She giggled with delight. He smiled down at her, his gorgeous face as delighted as a child’s.   
“Thank you, Susannah.” His hand stroked her cheek. “Thank you for trusting us. We want you to relax now and just enjoy. Do as we ask.” He reached down and filled his hands with her breasts. “Let us do everything, little one.”  
She writhed in pleasure as he began to play with her nipples, rubbing and shaping and even pinching them. She’d never imagined such a feeling. Denar lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her, long and languorously. His tongue slipped between her lips as his hand on her chin urged her to open to him. Oh, yes, kissing was very nice, she thought, just like she’d hoped. And their touches! Their touches were making her feel drugged and loose-limbed from pleasure. She was sighing, almost singing with the pure sensation they brought her.  
Kyrnis ran his huge hands up and down her legs, going a little higher each time, smoothing his way upward, edging closer and closer to the very sensitive area at the juncture of her thighs. She whimpered, feeling herself wanting to draw him closer to that spot that was tormentingly excited, but she was pinned by all of them, unable to do anything other than respond.   
“How do you feel, sweet one?” Tynevek stroked her hair as Denar pulled back from her mouth.   
“Lovely. This is very nice. May I touch you?”  
“Not yet,” Denar said. “We are in charge. You are to lie back and let us show you what pleasure you can have.”  
Tynevek lowered his mouth to her breast, she felt his tongue lick it firmly. She gasped and arched as a sharp dart of almost painful pleasure streaked its way from her breast all the way to her feminine center. She had never felt anything like it and it made her writhe beneath him. She put her hands up to touch him, but Denar took hold of them and pulled them over her head. She glanced up to see him grin at Kyrnis, who had moved between her legs, his big hands still warmly stroking, upward, over her thighs.   
She gasped again as Tynevek’s lips closed more tightly over her nipple, suckling on her. She almost came off the bed but all three of them had her anchored in place. In the next moment, Kyrnis’s hand met the sensitive flesh at her very center. He stroked through her folds and she cried out in wonder.   
“Oh, that’s so good.” New sensations were swamping her, rendering her helpless against the onslaught of their attentions. She’d never dreamed of being touched in this way. She might have read about it and been aroused, but to experience it was far, far different.   
Denar sank to her mouth again and his kiss was even more demanding, his tongue darting in and out, its slightly rough texture a wonder. She moaned into his mouth as Kyrnis stroked more deeply and insistently along the wet crease of her sex. A large finger pressed against the entrance to her sheath and she bucked, startled, and cried out.   
“Shh,” Kyrnis soothed. “Hush, little one. There is more.”  
She lay, spellbound as the Nobek simply played at her entrance, his finger slipping easily in the juice of her arousal. Slowly, easily, his finger slid inside and filled the space that had never been filled before. She tried to move, it felt so achy and still so good, but she was pinned fast. Heating up and melting, she thought. They were making her turn to butter on a hot skillet, just with their hands and mouths. It was all happening so quickly. Was it possible to make slow this down?   
That was her brain talking. Her body was setting off clarion calls of need, demands. She wanted to scream, move, writhe. She wanted all of it, now. Why had she promised they might have control?  
She tried her best, but her scholar’s mind had slipped away. She became a creature of pure, physical sensation. Tynevek took each of her breasts in turn, alternating from one to the other with his hungry suckling and nipping. She felt her sheath grip Kyrnis’ fingers as the shocking delight seized her. Denar devastated her mouth, holding her trapped so she couldn’t catch her breath. Her heart beat wildly and when Kyrnis slipped his other hand up to slide along the warmth of her wet sex, she thought she would have to scream.   
Then, Kyrnis did something she knew he might, but which still caught her off-guard. He pulled her knees up and over his shoulders, raising her slightly off the bed. Those delightfully thick, long fingers pulled from her sheath, wet with her juices, and he slipped one of them back to press around the outside of her anus. She went utterly still at the new and surprising sensation as he circled, pressed, circled, and pressed against her rear entrance. Kyrnis’ growl told her this excited him as well.   
“How is she?” Denar asked, letting her mouth free.   
“So tight and so hot,” the Nobek said, almost reverently. “Just relax, beautiful Susannah. Allow me in. There will be pleasure.”  
Kyrnis pressed her again and she felt his slick fingertip slid into her. To her surprise, it felt very nice. Odd, but nice. Another new sensation.  
Tynevek moaned against her breast. His hardness pressed against her thigh and he took her flesh with greater ferocity, almost engulfing her in his mouth, his rough tongue rubbing with deliberate pressure against her hard and swollen nipple. She mewled and panted at the electricity zapping to her core.  
I love this, she thought, with delight and amazement. It was the most blissful thing she’d ever known. The three men were assaulting her senses in every way and she took it all in, greedy for the experience. She, who’d had so little contact with anyone for so long, especially with men of her age, was now drowning in contact, senses almost overloaded with it.   
She was going to have to store this up. After all, it was going to have to last her a very long time.  
Tynevek lifted his head. “Are you all right, Susannah? You do not hurt?”  
“No, it’s—ah!”  
The Nobek had inserted another finger into her back entrance and she gasped at the fullness and pressure he provided. This was less comfortable and she whimpered. But almost as soon as she did, she adjusted to the sensation and moaned at the pleasure. He chuckled and began again to stroke in and out, making a tormenting rhythm rise in her hips.   
“Hold still,” Denar said sharply. “You aren’t in control here.”  
She stilled and allowed the driving fingers to continue their motions. Tynevek kissed her belly, licking and letting his tongue swirl over her flesh. She contracted inward and giggled as he probed her navel. Denar and Kyrnis both growled at her to be still.   
Bossy, she thought. But she really didn’t mind. Just as long as they kept up this wonderful touching. She almost wailed when all three men suddenly left her body. Only Kyrnis’ fingers in her anus remained. Slowly, slowly, he added a third, wet finger into that spot, stretching her to the point of painful aching.   
Then suddenly, his head came down fast and he licked over the swollen, wet flesh between her legs. As he lapped at her, Tynevek’s fingers arrived to play with the small, soft thatch of curls just above, rubbing and tugging and caressing.   
“Oh my God,” she moaned.   
“There’s more,” Denar whispered, licking his way down her neck. “Wait and hold still, little one.”  
She was no longer melting, she was on fire. She was so sensitized, everywhere, that she thought she might burst into flame. Then, Kyrnis poured fuel on the fire.   
He took a broad fingertip and stroked upward. It came to rest on top of that little nub of her feminine flesh that was so sensitive, she almost couldn’t bear to touch it directly herself.   
She shrieked and bucked. The men held her down hard, as Kyrnis began to firmly, smoothly, caress her clitoris with expert precision. She whimpered as the little bud grew harder and he swirled her wetness all around it. He never once missed a beat with the fingers that were pumping in and out of her. She was desperate, she could feel herself gathering toward a climax far larger than any she’d ever given herself. Denar kissed her again, hard and sweet. Tynevek returned to taste her breasts with lusty attention. She was riding on their wills, carried by their actions, subject to their desires.   
It was wonderful.   
Groans and sighs rose from her lovers as they began to work as one being, plying her flesh, making her heart thunder and her breath pound in her ears. She was sure she couldn’t take anymore but no sooner had she had the thought, than Kyrnis’ hand twisted so that three of his fingers shoved hard into her gushingly wet sheath. His thumb covered her clitoris, pressing and tapping and rubbing. In a sudden shift, his fingers cupped inside her. Somehow, he’d found a bundle of nerves just there, at the front of her vaginal wall and when he rubbed it, she flew into shrieking madness.   
Her sex throbbed, her anus clutched, her heart tried to escape from her chest. Denar and Tynevek never halted their lavish attentions to her mouth and breasts. Kyrnis growled as he pumped at her. She gathered into a towering peak, then burst out, tumbling through a new sky of deep, achingly sweet pleasure, clenching over and over.   
At long last, she quieted. She was sure she had screamed, but she had been too deep in the throes of bliss to care. Now, Denar and Tynevek were cuddling around her, murmuring extravagant praises, making soothing sounds in her ears. Kyrnis slowed his touches, eased to a stop, and finally, gently extricated his hands to slowly stroke her hips and thighs, still rumbling and growling as he calmed her.   
“Oh, so lovely, Susannah.” Tynevek sighed, pulling her close to his chest. “You came so beautifully.”  
She was still out of breath and floating. Denar kissed her cheek and rubbed his head to her temple. “You were perfect, sweetness,” he said, his voice husky.   
“You liked it?” Kyrnis asked. His clanmates hooted at his blunt need for praise.   
Susannah managed a dazed nod and a smile. “It was amazing. You were all amazing.”  
They petted her for a little bit longer, then Denar rose and went to take Kyrnis’ place between her thighs. He looked at her sex and she felt self-conscious to see him examining her with such intent focus. When Kyrnis had looked at her she had been distracted. Now Denar’s raptor-like gaze had her complete, wary attention.  
“You are a lovely deep pink, swollen and so, so wet, little scholar. I can’t wait to have you.”  
He knelt and spread her thighs, running his hands up and down her legs, making her feel relaxed and wonderful. He nodded to his Imdiko.   
Tynevek lifted up to look into her face. “You know this may hurt, your first time, yes?” His eyes were anxious but bright. “I am going to bite you, my little one, but don’t be frightened.”  
“It’s an intoxicant. In your fangs.”  
Kyrnis laughed. “Our scholar gets it in one!”   
“Yes. It will make the pain less and you will enjoy it much more. Denar?”  
“Now, please,” his Dramok moaned. “You have no idea how I ache.”  
“Oh, yes, I do,” Tynevek said fervently   
His head darted down so quickly Susannah saw only a blur. She felt a sharp, intense pain in her neck and she yelled. Why had he hurt her? Tears came to her eyes as she saw Tynevek’s dark head at her throat.   
Then, almost in the next breath, all the pain dissipated. Susannah felt a soft, warm sensation filling all of her veins. She seemed to float up as the Imdiko removed his fangs and sucked and licked at the little marks where he’d bitten her.   
Kyrnis kissed her, meltingly. How did such a huge man manage to touch her in such gentle, delicious ways?   
“Better now, yes?” he said against the top of her head.   
“Lovely,” she purred.  
“Then attend me, Susannah.” Denar’s voice was tight and yet still commanding. “I’m going to enter you now.”

C3, S4  
She looked to where the handsome clan leader rose up, his twin penises gleaming with their natural moisture. Even in the soft light of the room, they looked hard as iron, the larger one almost parallel to his flat stomach, the smaller one curving up below it. She gulped at the sight of so much flesh, thick and demanding. Tynevek wrapped his arms around her middle as Kyrnis cradled her shoulders. Denar was going to be her first. She was still a bit afraid of him, but she also felt his strength, his need to lead the way. She’d also tasted his kisses and heard his voice praising and admiring her.   
Yes, it was right that Denar be her first. She looked up at him and smiled.   
Denar gave a deep growl. He slipped his hands beneath her buttocks and lifted her hips, angling her so she was in line with his fierce sexes. Slowly, steadily, he pressed at her entrance and she felt a miserable, tearing pain as he pierced her hymen. She shouted and tears began to slip down her cheeks.   
“It’s over now.” Denar’s tone was both gentle and firm. “I have you. I have you.” He pressed against both of her openings and she cried a little more. “It’s all right, Susannah. The pain is past. Only pleasure now.”  
Tynevek caressed her breasts. “Relax, lovely one. You’ll adjust.”  
Kyrnis kissed her tears, then took her mouth, swift and hard. She forgot some of the pain as he robbed her of breath. His voice rumbled in her ear. “You will have pleasure, little one, we promise.”  
She nodded and felt herself float as more of the intoxicant pulsed into her system. Tynevek lapped at her breasts and she focused on that delight. She lifted a hand to stroke his hair but found she was so softened by the drugged bite that she couldn’t hold her hand up long enough to reach him.  
Denar recaptured her attention when he began to enter her, pressing his larger organ to stretch her tender vaginal walls, directing the smaller one to push into her tighter rear opening, making her ache still more. On and on he went, inch by careful inch, stilling from time to time, allowing her to adjust to his great size and the newness of the sensations he brought her, yet never retreating. His eyes watched hers, sharp and focused. She realized he was watching her for the slightest bit of discomfort or fear in her face. He was a careful lover.   
It still hurt, but not as much as his first thrust. She panted. She wanted. The Nobek and Imdiko stroked her everywhere, lapped at her flesh, nipped and rubbed and suckled, made sweet, soothing noises in her ears. She began to hum inside herself, feeling the intoxicant, no doubt, softening her still more and allowing her to take in the pure delight of all the sensations that were overwhelming her body.   
When Denar was finally seated all the way inside her, his eyes closed, he tilted his head back and howled, actually howled! She grinned as the sound reverberated around the room. He was not so in control as he seemed, after all. It made her feel like she was not so helpless in this business of surrendering. After all, it was her body causing the carefully controlled Dramok to erupt in such a purely sensual, animal way. She felt a moment of triumph and then affection for the big man who was mastering her body so exquisitely.  
The ache within her lessened and pleasure began to sweep through her in ever more powerful waves. Denar pumped slowly in and out of her, his slick sexes imparting just enough friction to excite while still moving smoothly. His purple eyes had deepened to near-black as he watched her and she shivered at the almost cruel intent in his extraordinary face. She knew he didn’t care if she ached right now, didn’t care if she was panting with increasing need. His whole being was focused on taking joy in dominating her even as he worked her toward her climax. It was a new, confusing and yet wonderful experience.   
Her eyes drifted closed and she concentrated on breathing, on her galloping heart. This was far more than she ever could have dreamed. Her thoughts began to narrow to the growing need at her center. She was going to climax again and she was eager to feel it. She was breathing raggedly, moaning in quick bursts.  
“Look at me, Susannah.” Denar’s voice cut into her dreamy thoughts.   
She looked up at his dark face. He was so magnificent, so demanding.   
“Pay attention.”  
Kyrnis and Tynevek held her more firmly, but they ceased their caressing and kissing. Denar pumped harder. She held herself as still as she could, trying to still her needs even as she sobbed with the effort. She thought of rebelling and just giving in to her body’s need for release, but she was in the thrall of this experience, in the thrall of her lovers and their mastery of her. She had asked them to show her, to lead her, and she wanted to know the full measure of what they had to teach her. She panted, keeping her eyes on Denar’s powerful labors as he rose and fell over her.   
But the climax that was building grew more demanding every second. Despite the softness of the bite, her need was acute, roiling and building. She whimpered and moaned, begged without words.  
Denar looked as if he was in great pain himself. He angled his hips up and slammed against her. His cock rubbed hard against the front wall of her sheath as he ground into her. She moaned and pleaded, the feeling of him hitting that tight bundle of nerves, stimulating her beyond all reason. She felt her climax coming like an oncoming flood, enormous and powerful. She couldn’t hold off much longer, no matter how much she wanted to prolong this act.  
Finally, Denar spoke, his voice strained. “Now, Susannah. Come hard, sweetness.”  
She had no trouble obeying. She arched, bowing up off the bed, screaming as her release took her, then convulsed inward. It barely registered when Denar shoved himself into her, deep, and she felt his seed spurting into her in hot spasms. His other organ pulsed in her backside as his roaring orgasm shook them both. The feeling of climaxing with rock hard organs in her soft depths was pure, unadulterated ecstasy, beyond her wildest imaginings. She was lost in sensation, as if she was being dragged through the ocean depths and then cast up, helpless, into the open sky, unaware of anything else.  
At long last, she stopped pulsing and began to soften. Her heart still pounded, but she could breathe again. Tynevek and Kyrnis hugged her close as Denar sagged over her, his own breath coming in deep, almost painful-sounding exhalations. She could hardly move. She could only lie beneath the bodies of her three lovers, sapped of all strength, devastated by her experience.   
Denar carefully lifted away from her and placed soft kisses on her thighs before falling to one side, moaning. Susannah gasped softly. “Is…is he all right?”   
The other two rumbled with laughter.   
“He’s better than all right,” Kyrnis said. “You gave him unbelievable pleasure.”  
“I did? But I thought he—you—were the ones pleasing me.”  
Tynevek’s eyes were soft as he stroked her cheek. “That is what lovemaking is, sweet one. Mutual pleasure. The way you allowed us to take over and the way you responded to our touch was more than we had dreamed. It is extremely exciting to us.”  
Kyrnis’ voice was full of amusement. “But I think you may have killed our Dramok.”  
Denar moaned. “I think so, too.”   
She felt as if she was suspended on a cloud. Her eyes drifted closed. Her lower body was still loose and deliciously sated. She was almost dozing when she felt herself being flipped over onto her stomach. Hard, warm hands massaged her body, soothing and pressing her muscles perfectly. She couldn’t move, could only accept their attentions. Murmurs of approval and admiration came from the men. Very soon the touching became kissing and she felt soft lips covering her in pulsing sweetness, everywhere on her body. The kissing became licking and then soft sucking and gentle little bites. Her body began tightening and heating under the delicate assault.   
Someone parted her thighs and thick finger stroked there. A deep, shuddering sigh gusted through her. A dark chuckle answered her.   
“Pretty like rose flowers. And slick. You make so much honey, Susannah.” Kyrnis’ voice was warm and husky. “It will feel wonderful to have you, lovely one.”  
Hands lifted her up on all fours. A thick pillow was pushed under her belly and she was lowered again, her ass raised up in the air, her weight braced on her forearms, breasts to the mat. A huge, hot body pressed against her backside, its heavy sexes rubbing up and down her cleft. When they probed and found her openings with unerring skill, she was glad the euphoria of Tynevek’s bite was still at work. The Nobek’s flesh was hugely thick; not as long, but thicker than Denar’s. He penetrated her gently but she couldn’t help but whimper and tighten with the deep ache he brought her in both places. She tried to wriggle away but Kyrnis snarled, a startling sound coming from the usually friendly alien.   
“Open up and take me.” His words were crisp and clear, deep with authority. “Relax and let me in, Susannah, because I won’t back off.”  
She shivered at the stern tone of the Nobek’s voice. Nobek, she recalled through a haze of sensations. Fighter and defender of his clan. He was a warrior in truth, asserting his power over her.   
I should hate this, she thought. She should want to follow her own impulses. But there was something deeply seductive about letting go of her need to keep things under her control. Something that felt right. What could it hurt if she relaxed and allowed someone else to have command? She’d been in command of so much for so long.   
She felt Kyrnis’ hands on her hips, slowly pulling her back onto his steely erections. He was still so enormous, invading her, stretching her. She drew a deep breath and let it out, drew another and let it out, willing her assaulted passages to ease and accept him.   
“Ah, yes. Just like that,” the big man crooned, pressing in still more.  
She kept breathing and waiting for him to finally be seated within her. The ache she felt was acute but she also felt herself waiting with excitement to see what would come next. Kyrnis’ groin met her buttocks and she felt his heated strength against her. He heaved a great, shuddering sigh. “By the ancients, so warm and tight. Sweet girl, you feel like heaven.”  
She held still, trying not to allow her discomfort to overcome her. Kyrnis had so far been her friend and protector. She wanted to let him enjoy her in his own way and learn from it. She knew, somehow, that the big warrior would not truly harm her. It felt so good to give to him. Indeed, it almost felt like an imperative, this giving.  
He leaned over her and began to run his big hands over her back. He laid their warmth on her spine and lower back and Susannah felt their heat sink in, relaxing and soothing her further.   
Denar feasted on her breasts. Tynevek stroked her hair and murmured words that alternated between the comforting and the explicitly erotic. Electric waves shimmered up and down her body.  
Slowly, Kyrnis withdrew until just the tips of his sexes remained inside her. She breathed a sigh of relief, then panted as he pressed back into her. His groan of pleasure was almost a snarl. He began to move on her and to her surprise, the ache began to ease. She relaxed still more and Kyrnis groaned again. She smiled. She liked making the dark, dangerous giant respond so helplessly. She closed her eyes and gave herself up to the sensation of such fullness and power. Power that somehow came to her just from simple surrender.  
Kyrnis seemed to sense her emotions, her free submission. He began to shove into her with abandon. She cried out against the renewed ache but that soon turned to excitement and then further, to pleasure. The tension was almost unbearable now. Kyrnis rutted hard against her and at last a cry was wrung from him. “Come with me, Susannah!”  
He gave her one, two, three hard thrusts and they toppled off the great mountain of frantic sexual excitement they’d built. His bellowing roars rang around the room, echoing off the rock, mingling with her higher screams and sobs. It was a long while before they reached the earth again and neither one of them could move for many more long minutes.   
At last, Kyrnis patted and stroked her bottom, kissed his way down her spine, then lifted himself away. He gathered her up so her back was to his chest and heaved a great sigh. He cuddled her close, murmuring in her ear, “Such joy, little one. Thank you.”

C3, S5  
The pillow was pushed aside and Kyrnis gently laid her down on the mat, turning her onto her back. The three men snuggled their warm bodies against her, again murmuring loving words and praises. She was so very tired. She drifted off. She woke again quickly as the soreness of her body began to fight against the fading intoxicant and the deep pleasure of their acts.   
“I’m sorry, sweet. I know you’re tired.” Tynevek kissed her neck. “But I am in too great a need to let you sleep just yet.”  
This time, Denar’s head darted down, fangs flashing as he bit her just above the nipple of one breast. She cried out at the sharp hurt, then sighed, exulting as the Kalquorian’s injection hummed throughout her body and the Dramok lapped sweetly on her breast, soothing the tiny injury.   
Tynevek sat up and leaned back against the thick roll of carpet at the edge of the sleeping mat. The others helped Susannah to her knees, then guided her onto the Imdiko’s lap, her knees on either side of his hips. Kyrnis’ big hands slipped beneath her bottom, spreading her wide, holding her up as Tynevek positioned himself to enter her from below. Tynevek took her slowly, gently, onto himself, his mouth on hers in a warm, deep kiss. She had been right, she thought in delight; his kisses were meltingly good. She sank down, down, sighing at the careful way he guided her over his steel-hard sexes.   
When her bottom met his hips, he pulled her close, just rocking her in his arms, stroking her hair and murmuring. “Sweet. Hot. Tight.” His voice went softer still, for her ears only. “I’ve never felt anything so wonderful as you, darling girl.”  
She thrilled at his praise. She rubbed her cheek to his and wrapped her arms around his neck. If Denar’s lovemaking had been exciting, and Kyrnis’ had been wild, Tynevek’s was the most tender. His kisses were long and sweeping, his movements just strong enough to stir and arouse, but not punish her over-sensitive flesh. He let her move on him and touch him, and she reveled in her first chance to explore one of their bodies.   
His hair was tousled and yet silky, his cheek slightly rough with stubble. His powerful neck and shoulders seemed stronger than the trunk of a tree she’d once seen on a trip aboveground as a child. She pulled back a little and ran her hands over his chest. It was rippled and his skin stretched taut and smooth over its expanse. He was built along leaner lines than his clanmates but he was all muscle. Her hands stroked downward, over his abdomen and he hissed as she brushed the spot that was so very close to where they were joined.   
He took hold of her waist and effortlessly lifted her. She followed his gaze to where his larger cock emerged, glistening, from her sheath. The sight made her clench and gush honey over him, and he smiled at the fresh moisture that covered them both.   
“Oh, lovely one.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “How well you show me your pleasure.”  
Elated, she pushed down over him, reaching the bottom, only to have him lift her again. She shoved over and down, feeling him scrape against the front of her vagina, grinding her clitoris hard against his groin. He lifted her again, murmuring in his native language. She rode him slowly, tormenting them both. Her inexperienced movements were jerky but he didn’t seem to mind. His hands moved from her waist to her buttocks and he began to pull her in, raking her over his hard flesh as she rose and fell.   
Strong hands took her shoulders and pulled, gently bending her backward so she lay against Tynevek’s raised knees. The others moved in as one and began to love her breasts. She let her head fall back, dizzy with sensation and the intoxicant flowing through her being. Wonderingly, she cupped her hands to the backs of their heads as Tynevek continued to thrust lightly into her. She gloried in the feeling that she was being worshiped and treasured by these three, that she was the center of their world for this fleeting time. It was a heady sort of power even as she submitted to their attentions.  
Before too long, Tynevek moaned and rasped, “I need her close now.”  
His clanmates moved aside and he gathered her to his chest once more. His hips began to buck against her as he crushed her breasts to him. “Such a sweet Matara.”   
She began to whimper and writhe against him. This intimacy, coupled with the deep fullness of having him inside her, was driving her upwards, quickly.  
“Here, pet, let me.” He slipped his hand between them and with surety found her hot, swollen little nub riding up and down his cock. “Here,” he crooned against her neck. He rubbed at her, her wetness making his finger slick and wonderful. She gasped at the rhythm of his touches and the music of his very explicit, whispered words. Words that described the pull of her cunt on his cock. That told of how he wanted to fuck her lovely body until she shrieked her release. How good her ass felt, clutching him, deep in its depths.   
She wrapped her arms tightly around him. He ground up into her while pressing her head to his shoulder. His hand worked her harder. She was sobbing and sighing. Her breath hitched as the huge feeling of impending climax built in her center. He was still gentle and yet she felt close to bursting with excitement and need.  
Soon, he spoke. “All right, beautiful Susannah. No more waiting. I’m going to bring you now.”  
He pressed hard on her, bucked up sharply, and she wailed her release. The waves that swept through her body were so intensely sweet that tears came to her eyes. He strained upward, shouting, and let loose a seemingly endless stream of seed into her depths. His climax seemed to go on far longer than the others’ had. He continued to shove against her until the very last throb faded away and he collapsed back, taking her with him to rest her head on his chest.   
The other men slipped in, rubbing her back and pressing kisses to her body.   
“Sleep now,” was Denar’s last, and rather unnecessary command before she slipped into oblivion.


	4. Chapter 4

ALIEN RESCUE--FAN FICTION INSPIRED BY TRACY ST. JOHN'S KALQUOR SERIES  
CHAPTER FOUR

C4, S1  
“Our little playmate’s slow waking this morning.” Kyrnis joined his clanmates at the table for first meal. His broad face was almost beaming.  
“I gave her a pain-inhibitor and a dose of nutrients while she slept.” Tynevek brought him a steaming mug of chai. “We worked her hard last night and she needs both the rest and the energy.”  
Denar stared into space. The deep pleasure of taking Susannah to bed had eased the tensions he’d been holding in for he didn’t know how long. Damn, he felt like a new man.   
“I thought I was dreaming when she appeared in our room last night, completely naked.” Kyrnis sipped his drink, then grinned. “What a glorious sight.”  
Tynevek nodded, his expression almost reverent. “The body of a fertility goddess. I can’t remember the last time I came that hard or that long.”  
“Better than any female I’ve ever had.” Kyrnis looked over at their Dramok. “And you, Denar? Was the little scholar fine?”  
Denar blinked. “Hmm?”  
The other men guffawed and Kyrnis punched Denar’s arm. “I asked you, was our pretty playmate fine for you last night, as well?”  
A corner of his mouth quirked up. “Fine? That’s a pale word to describe her.”  
“Luscious?” offered Tynevek.  
“Delectable?” Kyrnis asked.  
“Torrid?”  
“Ambrosial?”  
Denar’s smile spread. “Yes to all of the above. And then some.”  
“You’re all right that we bedded an Earther rescue subject?” Tynevek dished out bowls of hot cereal for each of them. “We all know the rules about sex with Earthers while we’re here on their home world.”  
Denar raised his hands. “We did take a chance. But she came to us. We certainly didn’t force her. She made it clear she wanted us.” He sipped his tea. Last night’s erotic pleasures had made things more complicated but these were unusual circumstances.   
“I’ll say.” It was Kyrnis’ turn to get a faraway look. “You told me Earther females were special, Denar. I thought you were just bragging. But she was like no one I’ve ever had before. Soft and warm and willing to surrender. So tight and wet. Suns, but my cocks were—”  
“Stop!” Tynevek raised a hand. “No more reviews of Susannah as a lover or we’ll be at her again in seconds. We have work to do today and she needs to recover.” His eyes twinkled with mischief. “And how can you say she’s the best you’ve ever had, my Nobek?” He pretended to pout. “You’ve had me, you know.”  
Denar snorted. Kyrnis grinned. “That I have, my Imdiko. But I’d hardly call you soft, even when you’re willing.”  
“Ah, he has you there, my wild flyer.” Denar smiled at his Imdiko, cheered by their relaxed banter.  
Tynevek clutched his chest. “I’m cut to the quick!”   
Denar settled in to work, glad his clan had been freed at last to let their desires rage to completion with the beautiful, welcoming woman who’d been tempting them for days. For now, at least, they could be at peace.  
He watched his clanmates moving about, preparing the morning meal. It had felt good to share a woman again after all this time. They hadn’t all taken Susannah physically at once; he’d been sure she wasn’t yet ready for that experience. Still, it had been deeply satisfying to have his Imdiko and his Nobek with him as they enjoyed the delights of Susannah. It felt right.   
He couldn’t help wondering, though, if they had crossed a line by giving in to her innocent demand to have sex with them. It was her first time, after all. Would this make it more difficult to get her out of this place when the time came? Or would she take their sexual encounter as a declaration of love and believe they were taking her to be their Matara, their clanmate? As servicemen on this mission to Earth, they were not allowed to take any Earthers into their clans. If that was going to happen, it would have to take place off Earth, after their service was up.  
He frowned into his cup. He didn’t want to think about that now. He just wanted to feel the bone-deep satisfaction of good sex and the anticipation of more such encounters. Soon, because he didn’t know how much time they had left.   
Any day now, they would make contact with the outside. Their unit would arrive and they would escort Susannah up to the rescue center and leave her in the capable hands of the team that processed new refugees. Then his clan would either be off another mission or they would finally get their orders to return to Kalquor. They would say goodbye to Susannah Talcott and get on with their lives.   
He accepted a plate of food from Tynevek, who wore a bemused smile on his gentle face. Kyrnis was humming like a big bee as he sliced bread. No, he didn’t want to think about goodbyes or the future. He would stay in the present and work to make the storehouse as safe as possible for now. The only future he would consider was how long they could stand to wait before they took luscious Susannah back to bed. He was honored to have been her first and he didn’t take that lightly, but there was so much more he wanted to teach her. His body was already warming at the thought.   
He heard a snicker and looked up. Tynevek was grinning at him from across the kitchen. He glowered, then noticed his Imdiko’s own aroused state. Kyrnis had his back to them, but he too shifted as he stood, as if needing to adjust himself. He caught a whiff of arousal.   
Denar groaned. “All right, my clan. Let’s get control of ourselves. As Tynevek said, Susannah is probably both tired and sore today. We can wait, for her sake.”  
Kyrnis stared up at the ceiling. “I can. But I’ll be spending time in the gym today. Lifting weights. Lots of weights.”  
Tynevek patted his shoulder. “I’ll be running the track above you, my Nobek.”   
Denar rolled his eyes. But as he dug into his food, he thought he might be running up and down the central stairs, top to bottom and back, several times today. 

C4, S2  
Susannah woke in her own bed, in her own room. She blinked at the ceiling. Had it all been a dream? She sat up and lifted the blankets. “Oh.”   
She was naked. She moved, and felt sore and achy in some very intimate places. There was a lingering scent of cinnamon and musk on her skin.  
It had not been a dream. She had had sex for the first time last night. With three men.   
She flopped back and stared at the ceiling again. It had been wonderful, and scary, and bewildering. The clan had overrun her with sensations and emotions and she had gone under early on, almost drowning in the experience. Now that she was awake and alone, she smiled. It had been a most satisfactory event. She would spend some time processing it and storing it up in her memory, then she could get on with her life, knowing what it meant to share her body with another person. Or persons. She was grateful the clan had been willing. Now she knew what it was like to have sex with a man. She shook her head in wonder; what it was like to have sex with three men! She had never fantasized about that.  
She got up, stretching and yawning. She wrapped herself in her robe and went to the showers. Oh, yes, she was definitely sore this morning, she thought as she washed. So many parts of her body had received the clan’s eager attentions last night. Did the soreness change over time?   
Not that it mattered. She wasn’t going to have sex again. That wasn’t part of the plan for her, or for the men. Besides, though it hadn’t been specifically covered in the security rules for the storehouse, she was pretty sure it wasn’t considered safe to form an attachment to outsiders. Still, after they left, she would treasure the memory of her one amazing night.  
The kitchen was empty when she came up to the living areas on Level Two. She went to the counter and took down a mug for tea. She gasped as a hand took the cup from her. Another hand took her arm and guided her to the table. How had they gotten in here so fast?   
“Good morning, Susannah.” Denar held out a seat for her and she sat down. He sat next to her and pulled her chair close to his. He gave her a quick kiss, then showed her his tablet.   
“I thought we’d work from Level Four, today.” He called up a three-dimensional model of the storehouse. He must have created it from the old designs she and Kyrnis had found. It shimmered in the air and rotated slowly in front of them. “If we go into the air filtration system here at the far wall, we can access both Levels Three and Five at the same time. Then we can fix that one crack we found running vertically between floors.”  
Kyrnis leaned over the table and kissed her forehead. “Good morning, little one.” He set her tea in front of her and took the seat across from her.   
“You look beautiful this morning, Matara. Here.” Tynevek sat down on her other side. “I found a container of dried berries in the pantry. I thought you’d enjoy them with some cereal.”  
He held up a morsel of grains and berries between his thumb and finger. She stared, puzzled.   
Tynevek grinned. “Open up.”   
She opened her mouth and he popped the food inside. The other two didn’t bat an eyelash.  
“Um, I can feed myself.”   
“We know.” Denar took the bowl of sliced apples that Kyrnis handed him. He held a piece up to her lips.  
She took the bite, then raised her hands as Tynevek offered her another morsel. “Wait, wait! Why are you doing this?” She had to speak around the bite of apple. She was hungry after last night’s exertions.  
Tynevek kissed her cheek. “Because we had such a wonderful time last night.”  
She froze, then swallowed. “Are you...are you paying me?”  
Tynevek looked horrified. “No, Susannah! You didn’t come to us as a whore. We know that.”  
Kyrnis leaned toward her. “We don’t pay whores with food. We pay them with money.”   
Tynevek sighed. “I’m not sure you’re helping, my Nobek.”  
“You said you wanted us to be your clan while we were here.” Denar gave the bowl to Kyrnis. “This is how we feed the woman who clans with us.”  
“It’s a gesture of respect.” Kyrnis offered her a bit of apple.   
She took the bite but shook her head. “You don’t have to do this. The whole clan idea. I just wanted to convince you that I really wanted to go to bed with you. I exaggerated some. I’m very grateful and now we can go back to the way we were. We don’t have to do it again.”  
Denar shut down the model and turned to her. “What are you saying? You were lying to us last night?” His tone was sharp.  
“No, not exactly. I just wanted you to treat me like a woman you would normally take to bed. It was just for the one night. We don’t have to go on pretending from now on.” She smiled at them all. “You don’t have to worry that I expect you to be my boyfriends or anything like that. I know you have to leave and go off on your own again soon.”  
“Susannah, did you think we were doing you a favor?” Tynevek’s brow was drawn.   
“Well, yes. I came to you and asked you and you agreed. You were very nice about it.”  
“Great suns.” Kyrnis sank his head into his hands. “Denar?”  
Denar swept an arm around her and pulled her onto his lap. He stroked back her hair and looked at her quizzically. “Did you think we didn’t want you, Curator?”  
She felt warm and safe on Denar’s lap. His broad chest, his hard thighs underneath her bottom made her struggle not to wiggle in closer to him. She needed to keep control of this situation. “I think you wanted to have sex. I think you like sex.”   
Tynevek snorted. “We do. There’s no denying that. But if we like sex so much, why didn’t we make love with you before this? We could have had you any time if we’d wanted.”  
She shrugged. “I figured you weren’t that interested in me. I’m just an Earther and you knew I was inexperienced. I didn’t know how to seduce you or anything, so I just came right out and asked.”  
“Just an Earther?” Kyrnis sounded amazed and a little angry.   
“Yes. I’m not a tall, beautiful Kalquorian woman. Or one of those pretty Plasians with the golden tongues. I’m just...me.”  
Denar set her back onto her chair and scooted around until he faced her. He took both of her hands in his. He regarded her sternly.  
“Let me tell you why we didn’t touch you, Susannah. We didn’t touch you because it’s forbidden. We are forbidden by the law of the Galactic Council to interfere with Earther women in any way other than to get them to safety. It had nothing to do with how desirable you are. Or how experienced.”   
Tynevek spoke from behind her. “Many of the women we’ve found here are traumatized and confused. Our Empress, who is an Earther Matara, was influential in getting these rules set into place because some Kalquorians, in their desperation to reproduce, had been forcing women to come with them and breed with them. We understand that many Earther Mataras have been brought up hating and fearing sex. It was terrifying for some of them.”  
Susannah tilted her head, brows raised. “I’m not like those women. I was never part of aboveground society.”   
“We know,” Kyrnis put in, “but we have to follow the rules of our leaders.”  
“And we couldn’t know for certain that you weren’t upset or confused by us.” Tynevek touched her hair. “We didn’t want to risk harming you, sweet girl.”  
Oh, how she liked it when he called her that. It almost made her feel sweet. That was a new sensation.   
“We also knew you were a virgin,” Denar said firmly. “We like virgins but we don’t force them.”  
She raised her hands. “Then I don’t understand. Why did you agree to take me to bed last night?”   
Denar smiled and his stern face softened. “For one thing, we agreed because we’ve been observing you and living with you for days. We’re convinced that you are a normal, healthy young woman with a natural sexual appetite.”  
“We looked at your romance books.” Kyrnis’ grin was pure wickedness. “Very instructive.”  
She colored up. “I still don’t—”  
Denar broke in. “Second, we touched you, sweet one, because you asked us to. You invited us to make love with you. We took the risk and hoped that we would pleasure you enough that you would be happy we accepted the gift of your virginity.”  
“You were pleased, weren’t you?” Kyrnis looked anxious.   
She blinked. “I was. Very much. Very, very much.”  
His smile shone out. “I’m glad. You are my first Earther woman, little one! I wanted to show you that making love with us is a good thing.”  
“We were very, very pleased, too, Susannah.” Tynevek still stroked her hair. “And we were honored that you trusted us.”  
“But did you want me?”  
Denar was grinning now. “Did we want you? Sweetest, we’ve been aching for you since you tried to shoot us on your front doorstep.”  
Kyrnis grunted.“We had to use a pry bar to get Tynevek to let go of you last night.”  
Tynevek laughed. “And who insisted on cuddling her all the way back to her bed?” He touched her cheek. “Susannah, you are one of the most desirable, fascinating, lovely women we’ve ever met. We watched you walk around here, with your beautiful body and we wanted you. Then we got to know your amazing mind, and see your kind, brave heart and we wanted you even more. We’ve been half-crazy with wanting you in every way possible.”  
She gulped. Their eyes were suddenly very hot-looking.  
“When you finally asked us, we’d been fighting against our desire for you all this time. We couldn’t put up any more resistance. If you truly wanted us and you were happy with us, I felt we could trust that you wouldn’t turn us in to our superiors.” Denar looked cautious.  
She gasped. “I wouldn’t do that! I begged you to take me to bed!”  
“And so nicely, too.” Kyrnis gusted a sigh. “Very pretty and naked.”  
She stared at him, then began to smile. “You’re a sweetheart, Kyrnis.”  
He nodded solemnly. “I know.”  
Tynevek threw a spoon at his Nobek. It bounced off his solidly muscled shoulder. “Stop. Your head’s too big already.”  
Denar drew Susannah’s attention back to him. “So, if you wanted us, and you enjoyed what we did, and you know we want you, why are you saying that we don’t have to do it again?”  
She shrugged. “Because I didn’t have sex with you so I could get you to make a commitment to me. I don’t even want a commitment. It’s simpler this way. I’ll stay on my own, now.”  
Tynevek’s arms came around her shoulders and he hugged her to him, chair and all. “You wouldn’t be so unkind.”  
Denar’s hands dropped hers and began to stroke along her thighs. She shivered and felt her heart race. “You didn’t think we’d let you go after just one taste of your sweetness, did you?” He looked like a hunting raptor once again.  
Kyrnis chuckled. “You have much to learn about Kalquorian men, little one. We have you now. You’ve said you want us. You had better be prepared to back up your words with actions.”  
“Wait! Wait!” she cried again. “Wait.”  
They looked at her, their purple eyes watchful and smoky with lust. She shivered but went on. “What does any of this have to do with trying to feed me like I’m an infant?”  
Tynevek leaned around her and popped a blueberry into her mouth before she could think. “It’s just as Kyrnis said, you have much to learn about us. We like and admire you and you have given us one of the best nights of our lives. You are our Matara for the time being, just as you asked. Now, just be still and eat,” he growled. “We do the feeding.”  
She looked around at them. All of them glowered at her, arms crossed over their huge chests. She opened her mouth. Denar smiled and fed her some apple.  
They wanted her! Her heart went racing again. She hadn’t dared hope for more. There would be another night of sharing that indescribable excitement with them. There would be so much more she could learn. And, oh, god, how good they could make her feel.  
She would definitely trade being hand-fed like a child in exchange for that.

C5, S3  
They quickly kissed her goodnight that night and the next day day passed slowly, to Susannah’s mind, as they worked on the rad-leaks and she finished cataloging porcelain and tending the Bio-lab garden.  
When she had finished in the garden, she was sweaty and grimy. The lighting above simulated late afternoon. She headed for the pool to cool off. She pulled on her swimsuit and rinsed off in the outside shower. She dove into the pool, feeling the relief of the water closing over her body. She stayed under, propelling herself for half the length of the big pool before she surfaced, shaking her hair back and wiping her face. The room lights dimmed then, and the lights in the pool came up, bathing the area in soft blue.   
“You look like a pretty fish in there, Susannah.” Kyrnis stood at the edge of the pool, naked and smiling. “May I join you?”  
She nodded, more than a little awed at the sight of the big Kalquorian in the light. She hadn’t seen very much the night before, when they were all over her in the darkened bedroom. Now she wondered how on earth she hadn’t been crushed under their bulk. Each of his thighs looked as wide as her waist and his chest rippled with muscle.  
And his sexes! They weren’t even aroused and they looked far too large to have ever fit inside her body. He bent and dove in, his entry clean and graceful. He didn’t come up for air until he was directly in front of her. She was treading water. He could stand upright with ease, not even out of breath.   
His eyes sparkled as he swam around her, eeling and turning. She grinned. It was like having a big, friendly whale circling her. Okay, a killer whale, but a friendly one, nonetheless. That seemed to sum up what she knew of the Nobek’s personality. She sensed the power and ferocity that often shimmered just below the surface but with her and his clanmates he seemed fully content to keep his warrior nature leashed.  
“You like to swim, Matara.” It was a statement, not a question. “I’ve watched you other times when you came here. It feels nice to have the water bear you up, yes?”  
“Yes.” She laid back in the water and floated. “It makes me feel less tethered to the earth. Almost like I’m flying. Gravity can get tiring.”  
He swam up behind her and placed his hands at her back. “Rest against me, little one. The water and I will take you flying.”  
She cautiously let herself relax and he did just what he said. He pulled her up over his chest and leaned back so she was stretched over him, her head just below his chin. Then, gently, easily, he began to kick, traveling around the pool with her resting on him. It was so peaceful and pleasant that she closed her eyes and let herself drift.   
“We have oceans on Kalquor. There’s one not far from where I was raised. I swam before I could walk. My mother was always having to come and pluck me out of the waves whenever I vanished. My fathers, of course, reddened my ass for scaring her and making her come get me.”  
“They were mean to you?”  
He chuckled, the rumbling in his chest vibrating pleasantly on her back. “No. They were very fair. I was forbidden to swim without an adult and I disobeyed. Besides, I was a clear Nobek and they knew that not to discipline me firmly would only lead to more willfulness as I tested my strength. I could have gotten into far more dangerous situations.”  
“How do you know if you’re a certain breed?” Idly, she trailed a hand in the water, cruising on her Nobek-boat.  
“Our parents watch. They offer different toys. They see what activities we are drawn to and how we treat others. Nobek children can be bullies, destructive monsters, if we’re not taught to restrain our impulse to fight and dominate. Imdikos tend to get along with others, although I’ve seen them fight to take care of another person. Dramoks are bossy, of course, as soon as they are born. I think they tell their mothers which breast is the most logical one to offer first.”  
She giggled at the image of a tiny Denar ordering his mother around. “I’ll bet their mamas love that.”  
“Denar’s mother had a strong Nobek streak. He probably got his wishes denied.” Kyrnis was quiet for a moment. “And your mother? Was she sweet?”  
“I think so. She died when I was five. My memories of her are nice, but they’re not very clear.”  
His big arms hugged her gently. “I’m sorry, Susannah. My mother died when I was only thirty and it was a very sad time for me. I had no clan then and I was far from home. I hurt badly for a long time.”  
“I’m sorry for you, too.” She patted his beefy arm. “I think it must be harder to lose your mama when you’ve been with her a long time.”  
“Mataras are precious and their loss is always sad.”  
“What was it like to have three fathers?”  
“I don’t know anything else. I’d ask the same of you—what was it like to have only one? Was your father a Nobek, like me?”  
“No.” She laughed. “I doubt anyone’s a Nobek like you, Kyrnis. I think you’re an original.”  
He gave her a big kiss on the top of her head. “Thank you, sweet one. I think your father must have been a good man to raise such a smart and sweet daughter.”  
“I don’t know if I’m sweet. I’m pretty sure I’m smart, but sweet? I can be very stubborn. That’s what Papa used to say. But then, he was stubborn, too.”  
“You can be both sweet and stubborn. I don’t think you are stubborn to be mean or to hurt others.”  
“No. I just like to get my way when I want it.”  
“Like appearing naked in the bedroom of three desperately needy Kalquorians and demanding sex?”  
She grinned. “Maybe.”  
She felt a bump as he came up against the side of the pool. He pulled her in so she was sitting on his lap and he was seated on the bottom step leading out of the pool. His big hands rose to stroke over her breasts. The warm water lapped around her middle. She sighed and tipped her head back onto his shoulder. She could only marvel at how wonderful it felt to be held so near, to relax and share with someone else, even an alien.   
“You took us by storm, little scholar.” He played with her nipples, teasing and rubbing them. “You have far more power than you know.”  
“I didn’t—I didn’t do anything…” She shifted, desire suddenly kindling. “I just wanted to have sex. You did all the rest.”  
“I’m glad we pleased you. I want to have sex with you many more times.”   
He slipped off the straps of her swimsuit and pushed them down, uncovering her. She couldn’t help pushing her breasts up to fill his questing hands. It felt so natural to offer him her flesh. He rolled her nipples in his fingertips, pinched lightly, and she drew up sharply as the sensation streaked its way straight to her sex.  
“So responsive. You are a wonder.” His voice was a warm rumble of distant thunder.   
He turned her around to face him and kissed her long and lushly, his clever tongue sweeping into her mouth and twining with her own. She made a little sound of need as he cupped her bottom, pulling her against his rising cocks. They were hot and so gloriously hard against her female flesh.  
“Here. Stand up, sweetling.”  
He helped her up and stripped off her swimsuit. When he tossed it away, he positioned her legs wide apart on either side of his hips. She realized her sex was directly in line with his mouth. “Oh,” she gulped. “I think—”  
“No, don’t think, lovely one. Just feel.”  
His hands cupped her bottom again, his mouth moved forward, and she was lost. He nibbled and licked, laved and sucked. His fingers slid in from behind and stroked her labia, damp with her juices. She moaned and cried out, even tried to twist away when the sensations were just too intense. He held her firmly, and when she tried it again, he slapped her bottom, hard, to bring her in line. She startled. When she realized she wasn’t hurt and he continued his pleasuring, she obeyed and held still. She felt she should be angry or frightened, ready to pull away. But it was just the opposite. She would take more, she thought. Remarkable. Where had that come from?  
He guided her back and forth over his stiffened tongue, sending hot prickles of excitement up her spine. When his fingers found her sheath, he didn’t hesitate but plunged two of them, thick and hard, straight into her softness, making her clench and moan. He found her clit and began to gently lick it into fullness. She was panting soon, her fingers digging into the thick muscles of his shoulders. “Kyrnis, that’s so good,”   
He rumbled a laugh against her aching little sex and with wicked accuracy, slid another finger into her sheath, making her feel so full she could hardly move for fear of dislodging that great pleasure. He withdrew the finger, to her moaning distress, only to plunge its wetness deep into her smaller entrance. She bucked and mewled and he held her tighter, whipping her clit with his tongue, plunging his fingers in and out of her in both places.   
Climax was descending on her in short, hungry bites, and she was crying out in rhythm to his motions. She was going to go to pieces if he didn’t let her move.   
Just as she thought she was going to have to fight him for release, he shifted his hand so the finger in her pussy rubbed unerringly over that knot of nerve endings that felt like both torture and heaven. She groaned in an agony of sweet sensations, and he gave one last, long suck on her clit. She went wild, scratching and heaving and shrieking her ecstasy, shoving herself shamelessly against his face and sobbing. He never let up and as soon as one climax had passed, he tossed her up high into another. Every muscle in her body gripped at him. She was dying in his hold, throbbing and throbbing until he relented and eased his assault. She panted as she finally relaxed and collapsed over him. He tugged her down and to her shock, she found herself perfectly impaled on his larger cock.   
He sank his fangs into her neck and she came again immediately, thrashing in the water, bucking and crying out his name. She dissolved in pleasure and went limp in his arms. He cleaned up the bite, kissed her, and held her as she panted against his big, warm chest. When her heart rate began to return normal, she pressed small kisses on his chest. He lifted her chin and kissed her, something gentle that didn’t demand she rouse too far. When he drew back, she laid her head on his chest once more, enjoying the calm thunder of his heartbeat.  
“I think I made you satisfied, Matara?”  
“That’s an understatement.” She stroked his chest, sighed. “I’ve never felt anything like that.”  
“Good.” He sounded very pleased with himself. She looked up at him and grinned. Such a male.  
“Now,” he whispered, stroking her back, “it’s your turn.”  
She blinked. “My turn?”  
He lifted her off of him and came to his feet, folding her into his arms. He carried her to the lounger in the corner under the potted palm. He sat down with her and kissed her, hard and swift.   
“Now it’s your turn to use your mouth to pleasure me.” He parted his legs and guided her down so that she knelt between them on the cushion of the lounger.   
She looked down at his enormous cocks, glistening and erect against his beautiful, taut abdomen and she felt panic, despite the dreamy effects of his bite. “I—I can’t! They’re—you’re too—”  
“You can, Susannah. You liked what I did to you, didn’t you?”  
He rubbed a hand over the scratches on his shoulders and grinned. It wasn’t a particularly friendly grin, now. Had she really made those reddening marks? She was shocked at her violence. And excited that he seemed pleased she’d gone so crazy with him.  
“You are my Matara, yes? For now?”  
“Yes.”   
“Submitting to us sexually means learning what we like as well as teaching us what gives you pleasure. Do you trust me, Susannah?”  
She stared at his broad, almost savage-looking face, his massive shoulders. Perhaps a more prudent woman would run from such a beast, but her curiosity and her feelings for the giant kept her in place. Not to mention the intoxication of his bite, undulating through her system.  
“I--I’ll try.”  
“Then, begin by touching my cocks. Place your hand on me. Stroke me.”   
She hesitated, searching his face. His brows drew down. “Begin, little one.”  
She caught his cinnamon scent rising over the scent of the pool water and her own musk. He had indeed made her feel wonderful. To refuse him now not only seemed ungrateful—though she didn’t really believe he expected gratitude—but it also seemed cowardly. She had asked to experience sex with Kyrnis and he was giving her that now. What he asked was a normal practice for Earthers, she knew. Or should be, except the Earther authorities viewed it as one of many sexual perversions deserving of horrible retribution, even within marriage.   
Well, she wasn’t going to back down because of stupid laws or because of her own trepidations. Bite or not, she wished to please this man and learn what this act was all about.  
She placed a hand on the huge stalk of his larger cock. Oh, he was warm. And velvety smooth. She carefully wrapped her fingers around him. She shivered. He was slightly slick and very, very hard. It was amazing. He seemed almost to grow within her grasp. She slid her hand up and down the length of him, marveling at his girth and heat.   
“Lick me, now.”  
She pulled back, slightly. Could she do that?   
She would. She needed to do this, share this.  
She bent her head and tentatively ran her tongue over the smooth bullet-shaped head of the cock in her hand. To her surprise and delight, he sighed in pleasure. More surprising was the taste of him on her tongue. He did indeed taste of spicy cinnamon, with a bit of salt and a faint tinge of something creamy.   
Oh, my heavens, she thought with a moan. He’s delicious!  
She lowered herself down so she lay against his thigh and took a firmer hold of him. She laid her tongue to the base of his cock and then licked him, in one, long stroke, right to the very the tip. She glanced up to see his reaction. His eyes were closed, as if he wanted to center all his senses on what she was doing.  
“Perfect,” he murmured. “More.”  
Fascinated, delighted and aroused, she began to lick him all over, around, up, down, everywhere. He reached to wrap his hand over hers, sliding it to the base of his erection, squeezing firmly. She followed his direction and held him as she lapped at the tip. A drop of liquid shone out from it and she licked it up quickly, savoring the rich, exotic taste. He rumbled his approval.   
“Take hold of my smaller cock, Susannah. Hold me firmly. Yes. Oh, that is so good, sweet one.”  
She held both cocks now, and inspired, alternated licking one and then the other. His hand came down again after a bit and he guided her along the smaller member, so that she pumped its slick, velvety flesh up and down over its solid core.   
She took over on her own. “Is this right?”  
“Yess.”   
She smiled in triumph at his hiss. It was wonderful to know she was giving him such pleasure. She stroked his smaller cock, held tight to his larger one, and licked both in turn.   
“In your mouth now, sweetest.” His voice was tight. “The larger one.”  
She hesitated a moment, and he growled. It wasn’t just a warning sound or a demand. It also spoke of real need. She wanted to relieve that need. She opened her lips and took the tip into her mouth.   
“Deeper. Take me further.”  
She took a breath and opened her mouth wider. Gently, he pushed into her, filling her with as much of his flesh as she could take. Then, he waited quietly. Tentatively, she raised her tongue and licked it over the hard organ between her lips. She sighed as she felt his pulse against her tongue. She rubbed her tongue up against him, near the head. He groaned and she wriggled in delight, rubbing her thighs together to ease her own arousal.   
“You’re doing beautifully, little scholar. Now I want you to suck me.”  
She faltered and glanced up at him. His eyes were closed and he looked almost in pain. She felt that surge of triumph that she was capable of bringing him such strong responses. Happily, she pressed upward with her tongue, tightening her lips at the same time. His cock jerked in her mouth and she loosened her hold on him. He growled.  
“No. Everything, Susannah. Your hands. Your mouth. Both cocks.”  
She was clumsy at first, but she soon coordinated all the things he asked. Her reward was a deep sigh of satisfaction and then another, involuntary jerk of his heavy sexes.   
“Just like that. Oh, Matara, keep going.”  
Her head slid up and down, his spicy scent filling her nose and his taste swirling in her mouth. Another of those savory-sweet drops fell from his tip and she sucke  
d it eagerly, raising a choked snarl from her now panting lover. She worked him with hands and mouth and when his hand went to her head, pressing her further, faster, she did all she could to obey and adjust. She felt how damp she was between her legs, and she squirmed with her arousal.  
He gasped, suddenly. “I’m going to come soon. Hold me in your mouth, sweet girl. As far as you can. Swallow. Don’t let me go.” Both hands cupped her temples, holding her close to him.  
She wasn’t sure what to expect but she braced herself and suddenly, with a shout and an upward lunge, he was deep in her, all the way to the back of her throat. She breathed through her nose, opened her mouth and throat inside to resist gagging and felt the first burst of his heavy semen spurt into her mouth. She swallowed once, twice, then, wanting to taste him more fully, she slipped back the slightest bit so that his seed filled her mouth. It was as she thought it would be: thick and creamy and spicy-sweet. She swallowed as quickly as she could, losing count of his pulses as he groaned and jerked in her hands and mouth.   
When he was done, and the aftershocks had ended, his hands fell away and he lay back on the lounger, panting like a bellows. A moment later, he pulled her up to his chest and kissed her, long and tenderly.   
“Susannah, Susannah.” His breath was still coming fast. “Your mouth is heavenly. Thank you.”   
He held her close and she heard the thumping of his heart as it slowed and steadied. Her own heart grew calmer, though she felt as if she had been running a race. Bliss from his bite was gentler now, making her aroused but not needy. She was very content just to have satisfied Kyrnis. So proud she could purr.  
She sighed. “Sex is nice.”   
He laughed heartily. “Oh, yes, it is. Especially with you, little scholar.”  
“Really?” She frowned up at him. “But you had to tell me everything to do. And I’m so clumsy.”  
“Everyone has a first time.” He caressed her damp hair. “I was honored to teach you. And you are nothing if not a bright student.”  
She put her head back down on his chest. “You taste very nice.”   
He stroked her back. “I’m glad you liked it. You taste very nice to me, too.”  
“We’re very compatible that way.”  
He chuckled. “Oh, and aren’t we the lucky ones?”

C4, S4  
Later that night, in bed with the three men, she was again taken with varying degrees of gentleness and roughness, domination and tenderness. She was startled to find that Tynevek could make her climax just by sucking her breasts. Denar laid her on her back over his chest and took her from behind with his smaller sex in her anus, then motioned to Tynevek to come over her and take her vagina with his larger sex. The crush was almost too much but she was so full and so deep in the euphoria of it all, that she was able to obey when they insisted she come time after time. Kyrnis took her slowly and rhythmically while she was on all fours and she loved the long, drawn out waves of orgasm he brought her. Finally, she fell asleep in their midst, each clan member connected to her with a hand on her breast, her sex, or her bottom.   
In the morning, they roused her and tugged her into the shower with them, taking turns soaping her, and then taking turns rutting against her, quick and hard, before they all rinsed off and trooped upstairs to begin their day. Susannah was sore again, and achy, but she also felt pride in that pain. In some strange fashion, it made her feel very feminine. Desired. Knowing. At breakfast, they lavished her with attention, fed her the best bits of every food, and whisked the cleanup out from under her hands. She decided she could grow to like this sort of service.  
She also decided that, at the first opportunity, she would practice the new skill Kyrnis had taught her on the other two men. She hoped they would like it as much as Kyrnis seemed to. She wanted to be the one to bring them to helpless climax for a change.   
Still, she couldn’t help wondering how long they had. Kyrnis hadn’t contacted their outside team, not yet. Denar was beginning to make calculations about how they might clear a way out, from either Level One or Level Two. They all worked on mending and cleaning up after the explosions. She was falling behind in her regular work because she just couldn’t seem to make herself go off and work in her lab or some other collection, alone, when such interesting creatures were in her home.   
They shared stories of their home world and of their lives as members of that very male-dominated culture. She’d learned that each of them had suffered losses: Kyrnis and Denar had both lost their mothers and as a young teen, Tynevek had lost all three of his fathers to an accident that had wiped out their family business, leaving him and his mother to cope alone. Denar had spoken with pride of his Imdiko, already a brilliant surgeon with a bright future ahead, and of his Nobek, who was a specialist in security surveillance, but who was developing communications technology that would greatly enhance Kalquor’s links with the nearby world of Joshada. Denar himself was not planning to be a pilot forever but was looking to find a place in Kalquorian politics, maybe even serve on the Galactic Council. They were young, for Kalquorians, anyway, but they were ambitious, hard-working, and very smart.  
Another reason why she was falling behind was because when she stayed around, one of them might lay down his tools, walk over to her and grab her hair, bending her over his arm for a punishing kiss that left her gasping and hot. Once or twice, the kiss had exploded into passion and she found herself being lifted against a wall, or tossed onto a bed, or bent over a chair for a wild, fast, growling fuck that left her wilted like a flower but oh, so sated. Afterward, they never failed to praise her to the skies, to pet her and cuddle her, and she grew in boldness and confidence under their tutelage.  
Oh, she was learning, all right. Her men were excellent, if demanding, teachers, and she their wide-eyed, eager pupil. She refused to think about them leaving.  
One evening, after dinner and a swim, the clan settled a pile of rugs and cushions on the floor of the rec room and tugged Susanna down to lie with them. They arranged themselves like a wheel, with their bodies as spokes and their heads together as the hub. The lights dimmed out at Denar’s command and slowly, one by one, stars began to appear over their heads, float belowing the ceiling. It was a vid, Susannah knew, but it was still breathtaking. At the edges of the image, bits of treetops waved gently, making her feel she was lying in a great meadow, staring up at the real sky overhead. It was something she had done once when she was a child and she treasured the memory.   
“Oh, this is beautiful.” She squeezed Denar’s hand, never taking her eyes off the star-show going on overhead. “These aren’t Earth constellations.”  
“They’re the ones we see in the winter over our home on Kalquor.” Denar’s deep voice held a surprisingly tender note.   
“They’re wonderful. Tell me some of the names?”  
He pointed to the left, where a line of three reddish stars bent into two branches. “That’s Lakt, named for the ancient goddess, Lah-ket.”  
“Lakt.” Susannah stored away the name for her notes. For her memories.   
“The blue cluster down and to the right is simply called the Boat.” Kyrnis drew a finger across the sky. “It is an important marker for sailors.”  
“Like our North Star or the Southern Cross.” She watched in wonder as the “sky” grew darker and more and more stars appeared. “Oh, my!”  
Denar lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “A meteor shower just for you, little scholar.”  
She could hardly speak. Was this what it was like above ground? Was it like this every night on far-off Kalquor? She could hardly breathe as the silent sparkles streaked across the field of deep blue velvet and vanished almost at once. So fleeting. So lovely in their transience. Wonder, joy, and sadness. That was life, of course.   
“Thank you for showing me all this. Though it is sad to think that many of these stars are long gone. We can only see echoes of their brilliance.”  
“You are as lovely as any of these stars and more alive, of course.” Tynevek stroked her arm. “It’s good to share this with you.” He kissed her temple.   
Denar stroked his thumb over her hand. “I’ve been wondering, Curator, how did your Collection begin?”   
She paused. Why would they care? She had never told anyone that story. Never had the need. Perhaps it would take her mind off the sadness of a world and skies she’d never see to share it with them now.   
“How long did your papa live here?” Kyrnis reached over his head to stroke her hair.   
“He lived here most of his life.” She drew a breath. Neither they nor the Earther authorities could harm any of the people she’d known and loved; they were all gone. She could tell this tale.   
“He moved here when he was fifteen. He was the first generation to go completely into hiding.”  
“Tell us how your Project came to be.” Denar worked the vid display so the revolving slowed. “It is a mighty undertaking.”  
She began to outline the history of the Project for them, starting with her great-great grandfather, Anders Talcott, and the first painting he ever bought.   
Anders had been lost one night in the still-magical old city of New Orleans. He was just twenty and fresh for adventures. He’d been partying with friends and they got separated in the crowds in the French Quarter. He found himself stumbling about in an area full of old houses and strange churches. Even back then, many churches and beliefs were beginning to know harsh persecution by the rising Unified Faith supporters. In the dim light of that coming dawn, Anders trailed past lush gardens and crumbling statuary until he came upon a woman opening the doors to her old-fashioned garage. She pulled out boxes and tables and on a whim, Anders had gone to help her. She smiled and directed him, so that by the time the city was just beginning to wake, they had set up a small gallery and several tables and boxes of the most unusual artworks he’d ever seen.   
The woman didn’t say much as they’d worked but when they’d finished, she waved a hand, sweeping across all those treasures. “Please. Look through these. If you see something you like, bring it to me.”  
Anders had been an exceptional student but his specialty was science and math. His exposure to art had been perfunctory, at best. Now, in this new place with this enigmatic older woman, he took the chance to explore. He moved around the tables and bins and lifted up work after work, studying them carefully. By the time the first customer strolled up the brick drive, he had selected three paintings that had intrigued him. He carried them to where the woman sat on a wooden stool and watched. He set his choices in a row and look inquiringly at her.   
“Ah. Interesting choices. Which speaks most to you?”  
Anders surveyed them for a long time, then shook his head. “I like them all.”  
“But they’re all three quite different, yes?”  
He squinted in the morning light. “Yes and no.”  
“How so?”  
“The first one, the three apples, is small and so full of deep green light. The second, the girl pouring water, is also full of light, but it’s not the same, it’s sunlight. The third, with the faces put together of old pieces of paper, is not so light, yet it forms a triangle on the field, like the other two. If I had to choose, I think I’d pick the three dark faces because I want to hear what they have to say.”  
She regarded him closely, then smiled. “The three faces work is a Romare Bearden collage. From the 20th century.”  
He stared. “That old?”  
She chuckled and nodded. “You focused on a very interesting characteristic of the work--its narrative quality.”  
“You mean it tells a story?”  
“Yes, but not like a written story. More like a conversation that winds back on itself, then goes forward, sometimes loud, sometimes soft.” She reached for the collage. “You have an eye, cher.”  
“I want to buy it.”  
She shook her head. “Not today.”  
He frowned. “Then why did you have it out with the others?”  
Her thin shoulders rose and fell. “I’m not ready to sell it. Come back in a week. If you still want it, we’ll talk again.”  
Anders had gone off and spent time with his friends. He didn’t leave with them when they went back home, but stayed through the week. As the week drew to a close, he couldn’t stop thinking about the art he’d seen. He was at the woman’s house bright and early the next morning. She beckoned to him from her garage and he helped her set up once again.   
She lifted the collage out of its soft casing. “What do you think of the Bearden now?”  
Anders gazed at it. It was even more powerful than he’d remembered. “They’re shouting out. And the way they’re placed on the surface is imperfect. It keeps me just off balance, like someone who keeps challenging me to look and listen in different ways. To really see them.”  
The woman’s smile widened. “Yes. You’ve befriended it.”  
“I think it came after me.”  
She laughed. “I know that feeling.” She set the work back in its case. “Come back this afternoon, after I’m done here. We’ll talk.”  
So began the friendship that would change Anders’ life and plant the seeds of the Heritage Collection. The woman’s name was Laure Gillkison and she and her late husband had traveled the world, collecting art. Every time Anders visited Laure, she taught him some lesson in appreciating art of all kinds. Anders took a job in New Orleans, and worked hard so he could save his money to buy art. One day, Laure met him in her kitchen, where they drank tea. She asked him what he thought should happen to the art they loved so much.   
“What do you mean?”  
“Should it be kept in private homes? Should it be in museums? Does art really belong to any of us, with the possible exception of the artist, of course.”  
They had discussed and debated and at last she seemed to have reached some satisfactory assessment of his opinions. “Anders, do you follow the news?”  
He shrugged. “I see a bit on my vid unit, but it doesn’t mean much to me.”  
“You need to watch and watch carefully. There are dangerous entities coming into power. People who believe they know what is best for all.”  
“Like the Unity Faith Party?”  
She lowered her voice. “Yes. Their kind of regime has been seen before on Earth. They are enemies of freedom. Enemies of freedom are the enemies of art, of learning, of the exchange of ideas without fear. The time is already here. One of the first things groups like this attack when they come to power is art.”  
“They can’t take it away! There’s too much of it.”  
“True. But which pieces of art should they take and which should they...leave? Would you trade a Bearden for a Vermeer? A Picasso for a Rembrandt? A Liu for a Choudry?”  
“No. God, no.”  
“I am telling you all this in strictest confidence, Anders. I have collected art for many, many years. I have far more works than you’ve seen here. I have friends, too, who have been collecting artworks. Slowly, carefully, and in strictest secret, we are hiding them.”  
He gawked at her. “Hiding them? Isn’t that what you were just warning me about? Taking art away from the rest of the world?”  
She nodded, her dark eyes clear and bright. “You’re right. It does fly in the face of our values. Or so it seems. But the truth is, cher, all the times that groups like the Unity party have come to power in our world, art has been confiscated, desecrated, destroyed. They will tell us that some art is bad for us and they must suppress it for the greater good. And they will do it. Art will be destroyed and artists will be reviled and even persecuted. Or they will take it for themselves and the money they can get for it.”  
Anders had considered her words. He knew enough history to know she was speaking the truth. He simply couldn’t imagine it could happen in his life, on his world.  
But Laure had allowed him to look around at the current state of the world and he quickly saw she was right. He began to travel and, at her direction, to collect art. She seemed to have substantial funds and numerous connections. He met with them and they’d placed in his hands works of art that had “somehow” drifted out of museums and collections. Masterpieces without homes. Some were ancient, some as fresh as that month. Most were paintings, but there were sculptures and drawings and even textiles.   
She also entrusted him with a map, marking places where artworks could be shipped, stored, hidden. When he was approaching thirty, he met a lovely girl named Celia who treasured both art and books. Once they knew each other, she confided that she had long since been collecting and hiding the best books she could find, for the same reasons Laure and her network collected art. It was a huge job but she was determined to begin her own hiding place. Anders married his darling and they traveled the world together, quietly acquiring treasures. They returned often to the Queen City and their beloved Laure. It was plain, one day, that Laure’s life was drawing to a close. She drew them both to her and made them vow to carry on the work she and her husband had begun so many decades before. Rumors of war had turned to small wars all over the world and the Unity Faith Party was gaining power in many countries. All she had predicted seemed to be coming true.   
On the day Laure died, Anders and Celia had been at her bedside. She gave Anders one last map and to Celia, a key. Then she’d smiled and breathed her last. After they’d laid her to rest and celebrated her life with her many friends, Anders learned she had left everything to him and Celia: her house, her fortune, and her collection. They followed her map to an isolated old airplane hangar long abandoned and overgrown with weeds. The key proved to open a trap door in the floor and they entered an enormous sub-level that was crammed with artworks. Anders and his wife knew at once what they had to do. They packed up, moved to a little town nearby, then set to work, quietly shaping the basement outward and then down, with the help of Laure’s contacts. They cataloged and referenced, labeled and filed. Celia brought her book collection and added it to the treasure trove. They planned and set secret routes and entrances, and spent the rest of their lives as teachers in a local school, so they could work with ease. When their children, a son and a daughter, were old enough, they were told the secret and they joined in the efforts, catching their parents’ passion. By the end of Anders’ life, sadly, it was clear that all Laure had foretold was coming to pass. Anders’ last request of his son was to ready the storehouse for full-time residency. They acquired the mine and began to expand and secure the new repository.  
Still, people understood and they risked everything to bring art, books, information, vids, specimens of all kinds, to the storehouses that were now developing around the world. Some were intercepted, jailed, even tortured, but no one had discovered the storehouses, so far. Some had died, keeping the secret. Some had despaired but they never told anyone else of the Project. Over the generations, as Unified Earth proved to be all they had feared and more, the adherence to secrecy and stealth had tightened. The Talcott name had been linked to the Heritage Collection for all time, secret though it was.   
“And that’s how it came to be passed down through my family.” Susanna watched the stars overhead. She recalled Papa’s words to her when she was a teen.   
“My father told me lives had been given to create the Collection and the storehouse. Fortunes had been given. All these works represent the hope of the future. But I believe the madness on our planet will begin to crumble one day and then we can bring these treasures back into the light.”  
There was a long silence. The stars continued to wheel slowly. Finally, Denar got up and switched off the vid, then raised the lights. “I’m going to walk security.”  
He was gone without another word. Susannah sat up and stared after him. She looked to Tynevek. He looked sad, yet kind.   
“Don’t worry, little scholar. He’ll be all right. It was nothing you did.”  
She wasn’t so sure. He had that resolute, dominating look about him that she’d come to call his Dramok Face. But had there been something else?  
“Come, little one.” Kyrnis held out his hand. “Time for bed. Tynevek has been jealous ever since I told him you sucked my cocks so sweetly. I want to watch him receive the same treat.”  
She shook her head, smiling, but took his hand. “Nice way to divert me, sir.”  
Tynevek looked at her severely. “That will be enough out of you. Remember you are the scholar, Susannah. That makes us your teachers. You have no idea what we might do to you if you refuse to take your lessons.”  
Her heart tripped quickly. She wasn’t always sure how much was teasing and how much was threat with these three. Both seemed exciting, somehow. She lowered her eyes and let them lead her away.  
Their ploy to divert her mind from Denar worked well. She was soon lost in a deep lake of sensations as she worked to gratify Tynevek’s desire and exult in his growling, trembling climax. Then Tynevek moved behind, taking her deeply, gently, as she ministered again to Kyrnis with her mouth. They kept her on the edge for a long time, then insisted she come again and again before they both released inside her, driving her to almost terrifying heights. They eased her down, down, into their surrounding arms and adoring kisses. She was exhausted and sleepy.  
She didn’t notice Denar standing shadowed in a corner, simply watching. 

C4, S5  
“Well, she’s done it again.”  
Tynevek looked up from his morning meal. “What’s she done, my Nobek? If you mean last night she fucked us both until she nearly killed us with pleasure, then yes, I agree.”  
“Yes, she did that. But I meant that with her story last night, she just reinforced what the Project means to her.”  
“We knew that already.”  
“We did. But this makes it much more difficult, especially for Denar. She hit our Dramok with three things he values most: honor, sacrifice for others, and loyalty to family.”  
Tynevek sat back. “I see. You’re right. Denar will have to digest all this and figure out a way to justify or at least persuade her she should abandon those values and come with us.”  
“Why doesn’t she see her survival depends on leaving? No one is coming to help her. The whole place could fall down on her beautiful head if she’s hit with a full-out assault by Earther forces.”  
“I know. But Susannah and Denar are two of a kind. They are above all faithful, loyal, and responsible.”  
“Not to mention stubborn to a fault when they believe they’re right.”  
The Imdiko reached out and tugged Kyrnis’ braid, gusting a sigh. “The trouble is, they’re both right.” He grimaced. “There’s more, though, and maybe this is what’s worse. This whole endeavor, this Project, was built on the hope and belief that there would be a future for the people of Earth.”  
Kyrnis’ eyes closed as he took this in. “Damn. I am glad I’m not the Dramok in this fight.”  
Tynevek chuckled dryly. “I know what you mean. But you might have to fight to keep them from destroying each other. And I may have to pick up the pieces when this blows up.”  
“You think it’s going to?”  
The Imdiko stared into the distance for a long moment. “I hope not. By the ancients, I’m a mess.” He faced his Nobek. “All I can think of is Susannah. I can barely keep my mind on the work we need to do without it drifting off into some reverie about her delicious breasts or her quirky mind. Sometimes both together.”  
Kyrnis snorted. “I’m not so complicated. I just want to be buried inside her, night and day. If Denar didn’t order me to work, I’d be at her every minute of the day. I can’t get enough of her.” He shot his clanmate a glance. “You don’t think there’s something wrong, do you? Like she has some sort of power over us? We don’t know everything about Earthers, you know.”  
Tynevek suppressed his smile. “No, I don’t think anything’s wrong with you or Susannah. I think she’s the most adorable, desirable, fascinating woman I’ve ever encountered. And yes, now you’ve brought it up, I want to be buried to the hilts in her right now.” He grinned. “If there’s something wrong with that, then all three of us have been infected.”  
“Our Dramok likes being buried in her, too.”  
“Without a doubt. And while he might not admit it, I think he likes how stubborn she is. She’s sweet and soft-spoken and meltingly submissive in bed, but she knows her own mind and she’s his match in her sense of duty, intelligence, and her need to be in charge of her work.”  
Kyrnis drained the last drop of his chai and rose from the table. Tynevek joined him at the sink to rinse his dishes.   
“Don’t worry. This will work itself out.”  
Kyrnis turned to him. “Can you let her go?”  
Tynevek took a step back at his Nobek’s sharp question. His clan needed to calm down and focus on getting out of this place. That was their first priority. He needed to help them see that.   
“I don’t want her staying down here, I know that.” He began to finish the washing up. “But I don’t want to force her, either. It’s going to take time and some careful persuasion.”   
He looked up at his clanmate and grinned. “And in the meanwhile, we’ll take every opportunity to bury ourselves deep in that sweet, warm, little body.”


	5. Chapter 5

ALIEN RESCUE—Fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER FIVE

C5, S1  
Denar had walked the whole of the storehouse the previous night. He’d walk, growl, think some more. He’d checked and rechecked every corner and cupboard. His restless body matched his restless thoughts. He’d looked over the multitude of artifacts that had been preserved in this place and shaken his head in wonder. Truly, a labor of love created this. It had been insanely and admirably dangerous, knowing how heavily Earth authorities came down on people they deemed blasphemous and subversive. It had taken sacrifice and hard work and the patience to see it through. The dedication to keep something safe and sacred for generations to come was beyond reproach. He wished his people had such a future.   
Yet, as he’d stalked about the displays and libraries and labs, he realized Susannah’s people were not much different than his. Not now. He and his kind had blasted her hope to shreds. Wiped it out. The future generations of Earth, for all purposes, were lost. Kalquor had set off the chain of events that had made Susannah’s work--her family’s work--dreams, hopes, and even deaths, absolutely fucking pointless.   
He’d stopped and stared at a display of Asian ceramics, not really seeing it. Susannah, with her clever brain and her innocent nature, was clinging with all of her being to that hope. She’d kept faith with her ancestors and with the future. How in the name of the Mother of them all had it come down to this?  
There could be no future for the Heritage Project, no day when it would be safe to open it up and return all these treasures to the people of Earth. In the long, far future, when Earth could support life once again, it would be a profoundly different place. It was unlikely the human race would be a part of that. Kalquor had had more than a hand in that loss.   
Now, he was expected to ask the one to whom the Project meant the most to abandon it and come away with the alien bastards who’d helped to erase its meaning. He had to do it. Susannah couldn’t stay down here, couldn’t stay on Earth. They’d trashed her world, trashed her work and her purpose, trashed her legacy, and they would have to insist that she come with them, even force her, if it came to that, in order to save her life.   
They were going to destroy their sweet little “clanmate for now.” Break her gentle, dutiful heart. He prowled around the storehouse for another hour, calming himself. He was the Dramok and the leader of this little group. He would make his decision and he would hold to it. He’d be the one who took the consequences and the responsibility. That was what his role.   
He had come to care that much about the Curator of Storehouse Beta.  
When he’d finally gone down to their down to their sleeping room, his mind and body had been sent into turmoil once more. He’d stood in a dark corner, watching his Imdiko wrapping Susannah in a warm embrace, kissing and petting her as Kyrnis drove her to ecstasy with his hands and his mouth. He’d trembled with need as their pretty companion had smiled sweetly and kissed her way down Tynevek’s body so she could take him into her mouth and pleasure him to near-madness. He’d seen the heat in his handsome clanmate’s eyes, the ecstasy on his face as her soft lips had wrapped around his larger cock, treating him to delicious licking, sucking, and stroking. Tynevek had caressed her hair and murmured to her of his delight in her ministrations. Then, when she took him in as deeply as she could, his Imdiko had almost come up off the sleeping mat, roaring with the force of his cock pulsing into her warm, suckling mouth. Denar himself almost came, right where he stood, watching.  
He was pleased for his longtime clanmate. Tynevek was one of the kindest, most caring people Denar had ever known and it delighted him that his Imdiko was receiving such adoring, lusty, attention from a woman he knew Tynevek ardently admired. The same was true for his Nobek, who was subsequently treated to the same sort of wonderful torture as Tynevek, while Tynevek took her joyously from behind. That time, Denar barely managed to slip out of the room before he was overcome by his own hot release. He’d gone to the showers on Level Two to clean up and had lain down on one of the couches in the living area.   
This morning, after a few short hours of restless sleep, he had no more answers than he’s had last night. He was enough of a bastard to enjoy this delay. He could acknowledge that Susannah had captivated him and his clan. She’d given them more pleasure and delight than they’d had in years, perhaps more than they’d ever have. Her boundless curiosity, her clever mind, her innocence coupled with her openness to try new things and to give them control over her in bed, brought out the best in his clan. Her hunger for knowledge, her gentle ways, her acceptance of them just as they were drove them to seek new ways, every day, to serve and care for her.   
He waited before he allowed himself to return to their company. He thought of her body. Her giving nature drew him day and night until he craved her so much that even now, guilty and apprehensive as he was, he still stirred with the anticipation of bedding her tonight.   
But he’d been the imbecile with the brainstorm of giving her a star show, which had led to her story of how the Project had come to be. Instead of joining in and sharing Susannah with his clan, he’d spent a night of dark accusations and frustration, alone.   
How could he ask her to leave when she’d given so much of herself in so wonderful a cause? When he and his people were the destroyers of that cause? Sooner or later, they were going to have to tell Susannah the whole story of why they’d come to find her. She would be hurt and angry and frightened, there was no help for it.  
Most of all, she would hate them.  
He swung out at the empty air. He wanted to get her out of here before they had to reveal everything about the war and Armageddon. Once she knew, she’d never forgive them.   
He was a rotten, lying, selfish, bastard but he wasn’t ready to tell her yet. He wasn’t ready to give up this little idyll in the midst of all the death and fury and sadness in the aftermath of the war. He wanted his clan to know peace, even for this short time. He didn’t want to drop this horrible news on Susannah just yet. He wanted time to convince her to come with them because she trusted them. Because she could see it was the right thing to do.  
The time was coming when he would have to tell her. But for now, he would wait. 

C5, S2  
The atmosphere around the storehouse had been somber for a couple of days. Susannah had wondered if the clan was angry with her for some reason, but they treated her with as much respect and care as ever, and in bed they were the same demanding, dizzying, delightful teachers she’d come to know over the past week or so. They were tireless lovers and she sometimes wondered how she could keep up with all three of them, but then they would swoop in and pamper and care for her until she positively wallowed in blissful comfort. What was making them so glum? She wished she understood them better, but she didn’t know if they would welcome her prying into their feelings.   
She decided it was just a passing mood, especially when the next night, after dinner, Kyrnis dragged them all to the medieval section, where he showed them what he’d found in an old chest: swords from Earth’s Middle Ages, sharp and deadly. She was immediately distracted.  
“These are perfect!” Denar seized a sword and stepped off to swing it over his head and slice it through the air.   
“Look at this! Light and strong!” Kyrnis pivoted and thrust, almost skewering his Dramok.   
Susannah shrieked. “No! Be careful! Those aren’t playthings!”  
Kyrnis swept her up with one arm and held her on his hip. “I claim this female to be my prize by right of arms!”  
“I challenge you, you worthless gasha scum!” Tynevek dashed to a table top and leapt up with one graceful bound. Susannah cringed as Kyrnis lunged for him, but the Imdiko met the blade with a slashing stroke, then leapt and somersaulted through the air, landing behind his larger clanmate, lightly as a cat. Her jaw dropped in astonishment. Tynevek’s deep purple eyes snapped.  
Before she could blink, Denar waded into the fray. He pressed Kyrnis back toward the corner, whacking and clashing until sparks flew from the blades. Susannah wasn’t sure if she was more worried about the artifacts, the men playing joyfully with very sharp things, or her own safety as the prize of these mad aliens.   
Her eyes narrowed. What did they mean by prize, anyway?   
“Put me down!” She pounded at the rock wall of Kyrnis’ chest. He carried her to a tall cupboard and easily set her up on top. “No, don’t leave me up—”   
He was off and away, swashbuckling into the center of the room, where his clanmates were slamming blows like thunderclaps on each other. Denar’s sword almost caught Tynevek’s shoulder, but the lithe Imdiko flipped away, laughing. Denar swung out almost without seeing and met Kyrnis’ deadly stroke, thrusting him away and grimacing in triumph. Kyrnis snarled and surged in, slashing with the force of an oncoming mill-saw.   
She sat on high, her hands on her cheeks, sometimes hiding her eyes and shrieking as one or another Kalquorian drew blood, slashed sleeves, or came within precious inches of decapitating his mates. How could this possibly be fun, she wondered, looking at their bright eyes and flashing grins. They were civilized, skilled, intelligent, yet there seemed to be a streak of savagery that drove them to dominate, to fight, to compete. She’d seen it other games and races they’d run for exercise.  
What would such a feral winner do when he bore away his “prize,” his bloodlust high? She shivered and covered her eyes again as Tynevek disarmed Denar and shoved him aside. She peeked; now the Nobek faced the Imdiko. How could the gentler, smaller Tynevek possibly best the huge, warlike Kyrnis in a fight?   
“You have no grace, Nobek.” Tynevek danced on the balls of his feet. “How can you hope to win the female if you tromp around like one of those Earther elephants Susannah told us about?”  
“You have arms like twigs, Imdiko. My grandmother could beat you with a cooking spoon.”  
“Then you’d better fetch her here to defend you!” Tynevek leapt back as Kyrnis almost disemboweled him.  
Big hands suddenly reached up and pulled her down. She landed in Denar’s arms and he kissed her hard. He turned to run off with her.  
The other two howled. “Oh, no, you don’t! Put her down, you whoreson bastard!”  
The Dramok raced from the room. The others pounded after him. Susannah buried her face in Denar’s chest and hung on for her life as they tore from chamber to chamber and then from level to level. At one point, Denar tossed her off to Kyrnis, who tossed him his sword in exchange. Denar waded into battle against the clever Tynevek, who darted in and out, touching and then withdrawing with a leap or a flip. Kyrnis then tossed her to Tynevek and took the sword to bear on Denar. The Dramok bellowed in rage and delight.  
If she hadn’t been sure one or more of them—herself included—was about to be killed, she might actually have enjoyed the wild, impromptu tournament. But as she was in the thick of it, she cringed and shouted and hid from the impending blades.   
She soon came to realize that none of the three allowed her to come within a foot of a sword-point or blade. They were unerring in their protection, even as they hugged her close and fought on with her in their grasp. Now and again, the one carrying her would step back from the conflict and spend a few stolen seconds taking outrageous liberties with her body, thrusting probing hands down her blouse, cupping her sex, fondling her bottom. They seemed just as ready to rut in the middle of war as they were at peace. She looked about and saw that all three sported enormous erections.   
She began to laugh. Their big, hot bodies were built for this, their innate, aggressive natures as suited to it as knights of old competing in a tournament. They growled and snarled, but she never doubted that they would stop short of seriously injuring one of their clanmates, just as she sensed they would never allow her to be hurt. This was Kalquorian play. She knew more about them, now: They were protective of those they cared about, as well as being wired for sex and for battle. An interesting confluence of traits.  
In the end, it came down to Kyrnis and the tireless Tynevek. The last gambit came when Kyrnis managed to feint left as the Imdiko darted right. The Nobek’s arm came up and slammed the flat of his sword against the other man’s sword arm and Tynevek gave up his weapon with a roar of pain. They came to a halt, chests heaving, staring each other down with bared fangs.   
Then, Tynevek began to grin. The Nobek smiled and lowered his weapon. Denar came forward with Susannah in his arms. He had one hand buried between her legs as he supported her against his chest. She was hot and squirming at the delicious fondling, even through her clothes.   
Kyrnis took her from Denar and slung her over his shoulder, making her shriek   
again. He swaggered off with her, his clanmates hooting and jeering behind them.   
Denar called after him. “Only this one night! And don’t expect to get anywhere near her tomorrow!”  
When they were out of sight of the others, Kyrnis swung her off his shoulder and set her gently on her feet. He was sweating and smiling, his eyes shooting sparks even in the dim corridor. He was magnificent, she thought, even as she quaked at what might come next. He glanced about, eyes narrowing.  
“Let me see. Where can I take my sweet prize so I can enjoy her in peace?”  
She put her hands on her hips. “Since when does peace mean anything to you guys?”  
He laughed and grabbed her hand. “I know what I want.”  
He led her swiftly to the recreation of a present day bedroom. He guided her in, closed the door, and locked it. He looked down at her and suddenly his genial look was gone. The predator and fighter was back. He took her wrist and pulled her toward the huge rocker bed. He had her stripped in a heartbeat and he hefted her onto the billowy mattress. Then, he set about pulling down the big ribbons that held back some of the drapes around the room. She gulped as he stalked toward the bed, running the ties through his fingers.   
Oh, she was in for it now...  
Denar and Tynevek greeted her the next morning with warm, smacking kisses and big, mischievous grins. She looked at them with suspicion, but they went about their tasks, fixing breakfast and taking turns feeding her. She supposed she should be happy they were no longer so somber.  
“I still can’t quite get used to this,” she said as she accepted a bit of dried pear from Denar. “I’m not an infant, you know. I can feed myself.”  
“But we like to feed you.” Tynevek brought her a mug of fragrant tea. “Besides, it is the first time our clan has had the chance to do this. It feels very good to us.”   
“Are Mataras helpless?”  
He grinned. “Not at all. But they give us so much, that we like to give back. Besides, it lets me come in close so I can do this when I wish.” He kissed her quickly, a hand on her breast, giving it a warm squeeze.  
She winced.   
“Ohh.” His grin faded only a little. “I see our Nobek made hard use of you last night. Shall I give you something for it, sweetling?”  
She shook her head, her cheeks flushing with warmth. “I’m all right. I’m getting used to the way you guys play.”  
“Are you?” Denar’s voice sounded amused.   
She frowned. “What do you mean?”  
He waved a hand. “It’s nothing. Ah, here comes your conquering hero now.”  
Kyrnis went to the galley and poured a cup of chai. Denar tapped on his tablet and began to laugh, again. Susannah marveled once again at how his mischievous grin lightened his usually severe face.   
“What’s funny, my Dramok?” Kyrnis drawled, sipping his chai.   
“Oh, just a vid.” Snickering, Denar turned the image toward the Nobek. “What do you think?”  
Susannah peered at the figures in the air as Denar raised the volume. Groans and sighs and panting yelps came through the speaker. Her cheeks caught flame.   
Somehow, the demon—or demons, from the look of suppressed glee on Tynevek’s face—had somehow run a vid camera into the room while she and Kyrnis had coupled on the rocker bed. There she was, spread-eagled and bound, heaving and mewling as the Nobek drove her wild with his mouth and hands. She could scarcely believe the steady stream of erotic demands and pleas that were issuing from her mouth as Kyrnis tormented her to madness. She recalled none of it specifically, and yet it was all very familiar. She really had lost all control in the heat of his savage pleasuring.  
A voice-over full of plummy, officious tones spoke up as if this was a nature documentary.   
“Now, dear viewers, as you can see, the female of this species is in a state of keen frustration due to the lack of expertise on the part of her mate. His tongue does not seem to be able to locate her pussy, as she so succinctly begs of him, and his fingers are too clumsy to penetrate her very attractive yet needy ass. This is a sad example of the failure of today’s young males to master the art of satisfying a female.”  
Kyrnis snarled. “Jealous old man.” His eyes glittered with both sexual and blood-lust. The other men were playing with fire, she thought.  
Another voice joined the commentary. “I agree, my esteemed colleague.” It was Tynevek. “Even if this male had three cocks and four fangs, I don’t believe he’d provide his female with anything more than a weak tickle.”  
Now the Nobek on the image crawled up over on-screen Susannah and hauled her legs up onto his chest, readying himself to enter her. He was rampantly erect in both sexes and his forceful shove as he entered her had been so thrilling she’d screamed. His clanmates, however, were having none of it. They’d edited that out.  
“Note that our sad male has become confused and is attempting to wear the female as a shirt.”  
“Perhaps he is addled by the bed that seems to be rocking like a ship in high seas. The female is clearly growing nauseated.”  
She had to suppress her own smile as the rocker bed was set into motion by Kyrnis’ deep thrusts. It had been a wonderful sensation, full and forceful. These two were making it sound like a prelude to upchucking rather than to orgasm.  
Across the table, Kyrnis was growling steadily. She shivered, watching his dark intent. His sounds spoke of both arousal and threat.  
“With the aid of a navigational system, a lantern, and an instructional vid, it seems the male has at last found his way into the female. Yet it remains to be seen if he can satisfy his partner before he succumbs to his usual too-early finish.” Denar’s voice-over was smarmy with satisfaction.   
Tynevek’s voice piped up. “My money is on the too-early finish. It doesn’t look good for the fem—oops, and there he goes. I’m afraid it’s all over, dear viewers.”  
Denar’s voice replied: “To be fair, I think that was a record for this male. Almost fifteen seconds, wasn’t it?”  
“You will both die long and painful deaths,” Kyrnis rumbled.   
The devils must have edited the vid because Susannah knew Kyrnis had made her come three times, teasing and denying and tormenting her before he had roared to his own climax. Not once did they show her sobbing and screaming and clawing at him in frantic joy. Or the aftermath of laughter, sighs, and kisses. She pushed back her chair. It might be safer to clear out of the way before the glowering Nobek took his clanmates apart at the joints. For starters.   
Denar looked at Tynevek. “A most enlightening vid, wouldn’t you say?”   
“Oh, most instructive. But such a tragic ending. That sweet female must be aching to be taken by a couple of real men.”  
Kyrnis dove. Susannah shrieked and leaped away from the table. Snarling and growling erupted, along with hoots of laughter. A tangle of big bodies slammed to the floor and rolled across the space into the sitting area.   
Susannah watched them for a moment or two, appalled. Then, she remembered. Kalquorian play. If they didn’t let off steam, they’d go mad. Or turn savage.  
Males. At least, they were in a lighter mood. She sauntered from the room, heading for her work in the Pre-History section, pleased to have worked out something that seemed elemental to the clan. She was also feeling very smug and female.   
She just hoped they didn’t get too much blood on the rug. 

C5, S3  
Susannah wrapped up the last tests on the makeup of the old print book of Huckleberry Finn and smiled. As she replaced the precious item in its archival box, she felt a satisfaction with her work that she hadn’t felt in days. She’d spent a lot of time working with the clan to make repairs and clean up damages after the explosions, along with tending to the storehouse itself and the Bio-gardens. She’d prepared meals, though the clan had been at pains to politely disguise their lack of delight at her culinary skills. She’d gone swimming with them, worked out in the gym, and showed them more of the Collection. She’d also had lots of sex with them, too, separately and as a clan. She was very satisfied with that, but she realized she’d been missing her real work, that of studying and preserving the many, many items still to be cataloged in the storehouse.   
She liked it when one or the other of the Kalquorians came to help her in that work. They were so technologically advanced that she scarcely had to tell them what to do, they just sought out the right tools and worked alongside her. Tynevek excelled at all things relating to chemistry, biology, medicine, and physiology. Denar was amazingly adept at working with the delicate, antique maps, vids, recordings, and special ephemera that were part of the history and geography sections. Kyrnis seemed to revel in working with all technology, even the most ancient and primitive and he seemed to be able to conjure up new tools or adaptations of existing tools that made the jobs easier or more effective. All three loved to be around when she worked in the art sectors and, invariably, they’d come to help her tackle big jobs like scrubbing the floors, cleaning the pool, maintaining the gardens, and keeping the living space appliances and systems in top working order. They moved like lightning through most of these tasks, sometimes becoming mere blurs spinning around her. It made everything go more quickly and she was grateful for the break from doing it all herself, even if at times their speed made her dizzy.  
She was coming to know each of them as individuals, too, and found them endlessly fascinating. Their separate breeds defined many of their characteristics, she found, but the breed traits were broad, like wide brush strokes in their overall personalities. Within each man were more or less of all three breed-traits, making their relationships far from simple or predictable. She wouldn’t have guessed that Kyrnis was such a fine cook, able to concoct delicacies out of even the most mundane or limited ingredients; she would have thought that the Imdiko would have been the chef. She’d learned that while Tynevek was the more romantic, affectionate of the three, Denar adored taking her to the showers and spoiling every blessed inch of her body with soaps, lotions, and oils. She had to remind him from time to time that the water-heating system needed to recharge now and then, he took so long with his enjoyable endeavors. As for Tynevek, she was impressed when she saw he had no qualms about bullying his larger, stronger clanmates and setting his foot down over their physical well-being. She’d even seen him bare his fangs at Denar when Denar went too long without eating or sleeping. The Dramok had taken the threat seriously and had amazed her by following his Imdiko’s orders at once.   
There were things that troubled her, though, too. She studied them when they weren’t looking and saw that Kyrnis’ eyes followed his Dramok like iron to a magnet when Denar moved about a room. She wasn’t completely sure what their relationship was, physically, although there had been hints of bisexuality in some of the data she’d gathered on their race. She thought she’d be repelled at the notion, but now that she knew them, she could easily see the three men as lovers and she couldn’t find anything wrong with that. She just wasn’t sure what that meant in regard to her. Was she just a novelty to them? They didn’t seem to be interested in having sex with one another while they were all in bed together, and they were so busy making love to her most of the time, she couldn’t see how they might make the opportunity to have sex with one another. She didn’t have any idea how to broach the subject with them, however .   
From time to time, too, she caught Denar looking pale and almost fearful, glancing around at the rock walls and up to the ceiling. It confounded her, for everything she knew about the Dramok said he was confident to the point of arrogance, ready to take charge at every moment. His clanmates had told her snippets of stories of how Denar had taken on pirates, or wild beasts, or--according to Kyrnis--Kyrnis’ most formidable Nobek father. Tynevek had told her a bit about it one afternoon when they were making the midday meal.   
“Kyrnis was not of clanning age when we met him, though he was done with his years of social training and was studying electronics and design.” The Imdiko grinned, briefly. “Our Dramok may seem like the most orderly and serious of men but when it comes to relationships, he can be quick to engage.”  
“I see. Impetuous in love?”  
“Perhaps not impetuous, but when he knows what he wants, he doesn’t wait around.”  
“I called him a hard-charger.”  
Tynevek chuckled. “That would be Denar. And once he was assured that Kyrnis and I were also ready, he went to Kyrnis’ family and asked to clan their beloved youngest son, right away. There was a lot of snarling, thumping, and at one point, they almost threw us both out, bodily. Kyrnis’ Nobek father is an ode to protectiveness.”  
Susannah laughed. “As Kyrnis will likely be when he’s a father.”  
Tynevek paused for a moment and that wistful look returned. An instant later, it vanished, and he went on.   
“Denar wouldn’t accept no for an answer, of course. He and Nobek Idna met several times over the course of a month. Denar was so persistent that eventually Idna came to see that he was serious about his son.”  
“Why didn’t he want you to clan Kyrnis? Kyrnis was of age, wasn’t he?”  
“He was, but his family had already made plans for him to join with another, more powerful clan. Kyrnis loves his parents and it was very difficult for him to just say he was going off with a poor medical student and a flight jockey.”  
“Hmph. Bullies. Prejudiced bullies, too.”  
Tynevek gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “There. See? It’s easy to get protective about those we care for, yes?”  
She gave a twist of her lips. “Oh, I suppose.” She glared at him. “Do you have to be so fair-minded? I wanted a villain in this story.”  
Tynevek smiled and shrugged, pointing to himself. “Imdiko, what can I say? But back to the story. Denar never flagged in his efforts to clan with our Kyrnis. And before you say he just doesn’t like to lose, let me tell you that while he likes to win as much as any Dramok alive, he doesn’t play games when it comes to relationships. He wanted Kyrnis and Kyrnis’ happiness more than he wanted to win. That was how he proved himself to Idna.”  
“What did he do?”  
“He walked away. He told Idna that he wouldn’t come between Kyrnis and his family. Kyrnis was choosing not to clan because he didn’t want to hurt them, Denar said. He wouldn’t chance hurting Kyrnis by alienating his fathers. Although, to be fair, Idna was the only holdout by that time.” He smiled at the memory. “It wasn’t an empty gesture, meant to provoke. Denar was serious. He would not come between Kyrnis and his parent clan.”  
Susannah’s eyes were wide. “He just left Kyrnis?”  
“He did. An hour later, Idna was on our doorstep, apologizing and saying that he was willing to consent, now that he was sure Denar had Kyrnis’ best interests at heart.”  
“Wow.”  
“Wow, yes.”  
“Do you think Kyrnis had given his papa an earful after Denar left?”  
Tynevek’s smile flashed. “Oh, undoubtedly. And Idna saw that by fighting this, he was making his son unhappy. Nobek or not, he is a fond father. He knew that Kyrnis would be better off with a clan that loves him for himself. A clan that will fight to keep him. That will work to see him happy even if it costs them greatly. No amount of wealth or social standing can replace that.”  
“Aww. Denar wins his Nobek.”  
“As did his Imdiko.” Tynevek’s eyes were bright. “There is no other like our Kyrnis.”  
Susannah had to agree. Still, it was a puzzle to her when she saw the bold, determined Denar swallowing against a fear that tightened his whole being. He seemed to recover quickly, but all the same, it hurt to see the powerful clan leader so vulnerable.  
Then there was the beautiful Imdiko himself. Susannah could stare at him all day, she thought, and never tire of that handsome face and lithe, powerful body. His lovemaking was as friendly as it was exciting, allowing for laughter and silliness and warmth as well as driving passion and mind-shattering climaxes. Yet he, too, sometimes looked wistful, almost sad. He would stand, lost in a reverie, looking almost forlorn, then, sighing, shake himself and go on, returning to his usual, kindly self.   
She packed away the slides and the recorded data on the old paper book as she puttered about the lab, alone for the first time in a couple of days. The only thing she could conclude from her observations was that the men must be missing their own people and their regular life. It hurt, a bit, to contemplate it, but they must have so much to get back to, and here they were, stuck underground with her. They needed to get back to their unit. They had family and jobs and friends outside. Plus, there was a war going on, wasn’t there?  
She stripped off her gloves and shrugged out of her lab smock. She had no right to be sad. She’d known this was inevitable, that they’d leave her and get on with their lives, sooner rather than later. Yet there was still so much more she wanted to know! She hadn’t asked them nearly enough questions about their home world. All three of them had been teaching her to speak Kalquorian and she was loving the challenge of learning their language. She was endlessly curious about sex, of course, and she was coming to love pleasing them, giving them everything. She wasn’t sure what that said about her, but there it was.   
Maybe what she needed now was to begin pulling back from them, though. They couldn’t stay here indefinitely.  
Or, perhaps she needed to indulge even more, plunge into every act with them so she tasted everything to the fullest before their inevitable departure. That sounded good and she was able to test that idea that very night.  
Kyrnis had pounced on her as she’d left the showers and was on her way to bed. He’d scooped her up, growling, and she felt suddenly like Little Red Riding Hood captured by the Big Bad Wolf. He’d stalked into the clan’s sleeping room and, ignoring her shrieks, had turned her upside down in his arms, hooked her legs over his shoulders, and begun immediately to devour her.   
She had been shocked and elated. The torment of what he could do with just his lips and tongue was devastating. He held her fast, his arms wrapped around her hips, so she felt both secure from falling but also helpless in his grasp. Finally, with a wicked chuckle that buzzed against her swollen flesh, he tipped her over the edge. She had thrashed and screamed and twisted in his hold, her body bursting with delicious, all-consuming pleasure.   
As the Nobek lowered her to the bed, applause sounded from behind them. Denar and Tynevek had been watching the whole time! She would have blushed if wasn’t already red from hanging upside down. She wanted to shrink, knowing they’d seen how she’d been captured and held in such an embarrassing position.   
“Don’t be shy.” Kyrnis had divined her feelings. “You were perfect, little one. I had such pleasure from taking you that way.” He grinned as he lay down beside her. “I think you did too, yes?”  
She gave up. She was quickly learning that with these three, anything went. “Yes, I did,” she admitted, and pulled him in to give him a kiss.   
“We liked watching you.” Tynevek slid his hot, naked body up alongside hers. His erections pressed to her hip underscored his words. “It gives us pleasure, just to see you being taken by our clanmate.”   
It seemed a little strange to her, that they’d want to watch her having sex with another man, but Denar’s hand exploring in the moist, still-swollen regions between her thighs distracted her. “We like it when you’re helpless that way, little one.”   
Denar’s breath was so near her very swollen labia that she tried to wriggle down to get close to his mouth. He held her still. “Why?” she panted.  
“When you’re here, with us, you are ours, Susannah. You are our Matara for now, remember? In this bed, every inch of your body belongs to us. Every move you make, we alone permit.” His tone was absolute, commanding.  
“What if I don’t agree?” Her voice came out sounding breathless.   
“It doesn’t matter. We will have you in any way we desire. You are ours.” He tested her with one finger, feather-light on her still-sensitized flesh.   
She frowned. “I don’t like that arrangement. You might...” She broke off.   
“Might what?” Kyrnis asked.   
She bit her lip, but she had to say it. “You might hurt me.”  
Denar grinned. “We might. If you disobey our wishes.”  
“No, you don’t—”  
“Sweet Susannah.” Tynevek stroked her arm. “We will never let you come to harm. If you are truly frightened or truly hurt, you may tell us at once and we will stop.”  
“But there are times, little scholar, when a little pain can bring great pleasure.” Denar brushed a finger over the entrance to her sheath and she tried once more to wiggle down and take him inside her. He refused to allow it. What did he mean? How could pain bring pleasure?  
“If you find you are genuinely afraid we will harm you, Susannah,” Tynevek said, “give us a word you can say that will mean you want us to stop, and we will stop.”  
“But be sure you are convinced we are hurting you.” Kyrnis suckled gently on one nipple, then pinched it, hard. She jumped and gasped. “You might be surprised what you can bear in order to reach heaven.”  
“Or in order to bring us to heaven.” Denar stroked a finger into her pubic hair, gently tugging and pulling at the narrow strip of dampened curls. She couldn’t believe she was already aroused on, so soon after Kyrnis had wrecked her with his mouth.   
“W-what word?”   
“Any word you like.” Tynevek’s big hand was smoothing over her belly.   
She thought, as best she could with Kyrnis was nipping at her breast again. It needed to be a word that wasn’t common. One she wouldn’t yell out in the throes of ecstasy.  
“Doorknob.” She gave Tynevek a lopsided grin. “It’s simple and I don’t think it would come up often during sex.”  
“Doorknob,” he repeated.  
“Doorknob it is,” said Kyrnis.  
“Doorknob then, sweet, wet, Susannah.” Denar rose up and flipped her easily to her belly. “Now, as I was saying, this beautiful body is ours. Hands and knees, little servant.”  
“Yes, bossy.”   
His growl was pure menace. “Susannah.”  
She grinned over her shoulder as she rose up on all fours. “Kyrnis told me Dramok is the Kalquorian word for bossy.”  
“I’ll deal with him later. But if you are disrespectful again, Susannah, I won’t hesitate to punish you.”  
He put a hand between her shoulder blades and pressed her down so her ass was in the air, open and vulnerable to him. She shivered. His tone had been serious. He might really punish her. The thought terrified her, angered her, and yes, underneath all of that, she was excited. But what sort of punishment did he mean?  
She left off wondering as Denar grasped her hips. She’d heard the anger in his voice and braced herself for a slamming entry. Her excitement ratcheted upward.  
To her surprise, Denar pushed himself gently against her and simply rubbed his cocks over her moist cleft. He teased and played, slipping up over her still-sensitive clit, drawing down over her ruffled flesh, skimming over the entrance to her sheath with silken smoothness. After a few moments of this, she relaxed and he began to press himself into her openings.   
“Ahh.” She loved this moment in their lovemaking. It felt so good, like a homecoming, to have her emptiness filled and be connected to them.  
Denar seated himself fully, then leaned over her back and whispered in her ear. “You thought I was going to take you hard, didn’t you?” He pumped her gently. “And you were excited about that.”  
She wanted to deny it but she knew the Dramok would see right through that lie. She had been excited at the prospect of him shoving into her, full force.   
“A little pain can be exciting.” He nuzzled her neck. “Just the idea of pain can be enough to rouse you, sometimes, yes?”  
“Y-yes.” She still wasn’t sure. Most creatures worked to avoid pain. Was she some oddity?  
He reached beneath her and gave one of her nipples a sharp pinch. She yelped and almost involuntarily shoved herself back against his cocks. The sensation made her clench down on him, deep inside her. He laughed and leaned down to nip at her neck. “See?” He caressed her breast, soothing it. He rose up to place one hand onto her shoulder. He put his other hand to her hip. She was making happy little hums of delight.   
He began again. He pulled her back onto him, then pushed her away, his hips motionless as he slid her back and forth, using her body alone to fuck his steely flesh. He felt huge inside her at this angle and she groaned at the liquid glide of their sexes. Even the ache in her anus, where his smaller cock filled her, was becoming more tolerable with each moment.   
He began to move her faster, shoving her back and forth, increasing the friction in her sex. She groaned at the delicious use, at the orgasm brewing low in her belly. She felt euphoric, floating. Denar stilled. She moaned and wriggled back against him, trying to recapture the delightful rhythm he’d set.  
“No, no, little servant,” he crooned. “You don’t get to move. Stay still so I can play with you the way I want.”  
“You’re mean.”  
“Correct, my scholar.”  
He held off until he felt her relax and submit. Then, he began again, slowly. Just the tiniest movements. Her erotically-induced anxiety rose. He wasn’t going to let her come. He was just going to torture her and then have his own release, she thought. She’d never reach her peak with such tiny motions. She bit her lip to keep the whine of frustration from escaping.   
He chuckled, as if he’d heard her anyway. “I feel your sheath rippling over me. You want to come, don’t you, sweetness?”  
She wasn’t going to answer him. He was baiting her.  
“Ah. Then you don’t want to come. All right.” To her horror, he pulled out and sat back on his haunches.  
She whipped her head around. He was holding his hugely erect sex in one hand, pumping it steadily. He smiled at her, wicked and cruel.  
He was going to finish outside of her? “No!”  
“What, Susannah?”  
“Don’t...do that. Come back inside me.”  
“I’m sorry. Who is in charge here?”  
She gulped. Her sex, her anus both clenched with need. Pride was going to get her precisely nowhere with Denar. And she wanted to be filled again, so, so much.   
“You are.” She whispered the words.  
“I think what you meant to say was ‘You are, Dramok.’ Right?”  
“Yes. You are, Dramok.”  
“Good girl.” He turned her and pressed himself to her again. “Whose body is this?” One finger stroked along her spine.   
She shivered, waiting. “Yours, Dramok.”  
“And when do you get to come?”  
“When you say I may, Dramok.”   
She wanted to feel ashamed of her weakness but she simply couldn’t. Her desire for him was too great. She would do whatever it took to get him back inside her.  
“Ahh, very good, precious girl.” He shoved home, full force this time. She shrieked in delight. “I’m going to take you very hard and very fast, Susannah. It may hurt a little. Do you want me to stop again?”  
“No, Dramok!”  
“Oh, sweetness, you make me wild for you.”   
He pushed her down so that she was again pressed to the bed, only her ass in the air. He seized her hips and began to pound into her. She clutched at the bedcover, holding it in her fists as she braced on her forearms, taking his shoves as they rained down on her with increasing force. It was hard, it was fast, and it did hurt a little.   
It was glorious.   
He began to grunt with each slamming thrust. She echoed him with throbbing cries of her own. She fought against the orgasm that was clawing to be released. She would hold out. She would wait for his command. Blessedly, it wasn’t long in coming.   
Denar groaned long and loud. “Now, Susannah. Come with me.”  
The force of her climax was atomic. She was frozen by it at first, balanced on the edge of a knife and then she flew free, almost howling along with Denar’s wolfen cries. Huge spasms wracked her, twisting her and gripping her, making every cell in her body pulse with pleasure.   
Denar fell over her back, his sexes thumping inside her, his seed scalding her sheath. He snarled and groaned and finally, finally, the two of them slid out of the grasp of ecstasy and fell down, limp, into a heap on the bed.   
She floated on a wave of combined satisfaction and intoxicant. Denar rolled off of her and the man who only minutes ago had been a demanding, arrogant brute, pulled her to him for a long, tender kiss. He cuddled her against him, stroking her hair, whispering praises in her ear.   
He hadn’t hurt her, not really. He had made her feel outrageously good. She never would have believed it. His teasing had been miserable but in the end, it had served to make her climax, when it finally came, all the more intense and powerful.   
Susannah glanced around at all of them. “I think I came to the right people to learn about sex.”   
Tynevek swooped down on her, laughing. “I’m so glad.” He rubbed his sexes against her thighs. “You see, Matara? We feed you, we pleasure you. We know how to care for you.”  
“You do,” she admitted, smoothing her cheek over Denar’s chest. She felt so proud to be the woman who received not only their care, but their essence. To receive all of their passions and their seed. What would it be like to have this forever?  
Don’t go there, she admonished herself. Just don’t. 

C5, S4  
Kyrnis finished his weight-training circuit and took his towel over to where Denar was practicing some slow martial arts moves. He wiped his forehead as he watched his Dramok balance, turn, stretch. Denar made a quizzical noise and Kyrnis took it as permission to speak while Denar exercised.   
“I’m getting concerned about the fact that we’re not reaching the outside.”  
Denar nodded slowly, in time with his sweeping movements. “Go on.”  
“Do you think it’s time to think about blowing our way out of here?”  
Denar made another slow turn and then, when he was facing Kyrnis again, he frowned. “I’m not sure that would be safe.”  
Kyrnis nodded. “I know. We can’t be sure that any attempts to blast the rock out of our way won’t just bring the whole place down around our ears.” He winced and hurried on, avoiding Denar’s eyes. “Not that I think that will happen. And we’d be very careful. Keep it controlled. But I’m afraid that if we don’t go up and see what’s happened, we might get into a bigger mess.”  
“Such as?”  
“Not sure. Maybe there was a coup and Earth has taken over our refugee stations. Maybe there were more nuclear explosions. Maybe Tragooms have moved in and are keeping our people from getting to us.” He shrugged as he wrapped the towel around his neck. “It could be anything but I think we need to act.”  
Denar came slowly to a standstill and carefully lowered his arms. Kyrnis could see he was turning the matter over in his mind.   
“I’ve been thinking the same. But I’m not comfortable with any scenario yet. Our squad may be preparing to rescue us even now. If we can hold out a little longer, the risk of a collapse or of getting overrun by Tragooms, especially when Susannah’s with us, might lessen with their support. We have to think of her safety.” Denar came to sit on a bench opposite Kyrnis. “I know it’s tough on you to be confined this way.”  
“It’s not that bad. If we have to be confined, I couldn’t ask for a better place on Earth.” Kyrnis grinned. “This place is big enough to move, there’s plenty to do, and then there’s our sweet little scholar. It’s practically a resort.” He sobered. “But we can’t pretend we can stay down here indefinitely. We’ve made all the reasons clear to Susannah. All except one.”  
Denar eyed him sharply. “Except one?”  
“Armageddon, my Dramok. We haven’t told her the whole truth. Why she can’t stay.”  
Denar snagged a towel of his own and rubbed down his bare arms and torso. Kyrnis watched him carefully. He didn’t mean to be disrespectful but he felt he needed to press his clan leader on this matter.   
“You think we should tell her? Now?”  
Kyrnis lifted his hands. “It doesn’t seem honest or fair. Don’t you think Susannah would be more willing to come with us if she knew the world above was contaminated beyond saving?”  
“Maybe. And maybe she’d be more inclined to stay down here and maintain the Collection as long as she could, so that someday, some species or other will discover Earth’s lost heritage.”  
Kyrnis scowled. “I hadn’t thought of that. She does see it as her duty. She’s a very determined Curator.” He got up and began to pace. Denar tossed him a cleaning cloth. He caught it and bent to clean off some of the equipment he’d used. “But that’s not going to happen. Her species returning.”  
“Probably not. Look, I want to tell her, Kyrnis. I fully intend to tell her. But I wish to wait until we know more about what’s going on up above. Besides, Tynevek still believes we can win her over first.”  
Kyrnis blurted another question that had been on his mind. “Is Tynevek in love with Susannah?”  
Denar startled. “What?”  
“Do you think Tynevek has fallen in love with her?”  
Denar ran his hands over his hair. “Great suns, I--” He stared at Kyrnis. “I don’t know. I suppose it’s not impossible. He looks happier than I’ve seen him for a while, but then again, we haven’t exactly been on vacation here on Earth, have we? Being with Susannah makes all of us happy.”  
“I suppose. I don’t know how Tynevek might look if he was in love with a woman. This is all new to me.”  
Denar chuckled as he rose and joined Kyrnis in cleaning up. “If you’re thinking I might know, think again, my Nobek. There have been very few females for any of us, at least not females we were allowed to spend time with, or touch.”  
“Or have sex with. I know I love having sex with her. Maybe it’s just because she’s my first Earther but sex with her is like nothing else I’ve ever known.”  
“Would it bother you to know Tynevek loves her?”  
Kyrnis gave this some thought. Would it? Would he feel left out? Betrayed? Jealous?  
“No.” He shook his head as he tossed away his cleaning cloth. “No. I would be happy for our Imdiko.”  
“Even if he could never have her for his Matara?”  
“Do you think Tynevek will ask to clan her?”  
“It’s not unreasonable if he loves her.”  
Kyrnis led the way to the showers. “I think he understands we cannot tie her to us.”  
Denar was silent and the subject shifted as they stepped into the bathing room. They stripped and chose the largest shower stall so they could bathe together.   
“I’m going to try one more thing to boost our signal to transport. We might be back with our group and on our way to base very soon if I can make contact.”  
“Be very careful, Kyrnis. We don’t know who may be monitoring our coms. If our messages are intercepted, we might lead trouble directly to the storehouse.”  
Kyrnis blew out a a breath. “I understand. But I have to try. One way or another, we have to reach them. I need to know what’s been happening aboveground.”  
“You have my approval. Just...”  
“Just?”  
“Just, you might wish to be very circumspect with what Susannah might hear or see, too. Until the time is right.”  
“I understand, my Dramok.”  
By the time Kyrnis finished showering and drying, Denar was gone. The Nobek stepped into his formsuit and made ready to go to the com station he’d made in their sleeping room. He chose to bypass the station and instead go straight to the sciences library on Level Three, where he could do a little more research on the sometimes antiquated and sometimes brilliant Earther com technology. Maybe there was something about Earth environments, radiation, chaos, or not, that might help him find a way to link with his people.  
He worked but his mind was still on his Imdiko and the honey-haired Matara who’d ensorcelled his entire clan. He’d meant what he’d said about being all right with Tynevek being in love with Susannah. His Imdiko was a fine man, a treasured friend and partner, a respected doctor. He was kind almost to a fault and Kyrnis had many times been on the receiving end of both his kindly spirit and his generous love. To see his Imdiko in love was no trial at all. Indeed, the very idea delighted the Nobek. But what did that mean for the rest of Clan Denar?  
He flashed through the archives, peeking into texts and vids that illustrated the many ways Earthers had explored communication. There was no doubt in his mind that Earthers and Kalquorians shared a love of technology, despite the obvious gaps between their progress and their cultures. He was enjoying learning about this unique race that seemed to have so much in common with his own.   
But he wasn’t searching solely for enjoyment, however much he may have found. He needed to know what had happened to their comrades. If they had been injured in the explosion that had followed their arrival in the storehouse--or worse--he needed to know. They weren’t their own men, his clan; not here on Earth, anyway. They were representatives of the Empire and they had a job to complete. If something had happened to their Rescue and Evac unit, they needed to know so they could decide what steps to take next. The Earth war and the Earth mission were like nothing Kalquor had ever faced. Add in the threat of the pig-faced, opportunistic Tragooms, with their penchant for swooping in on vulnerable areas, and there were multiple bad scenarios to consider. They’d already been wreaking havoc in other places on this world.  
He rooted through quantities of data on minerals in the environment and came up with a schematic that had been developed for mining. Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of it before? Kalquor had a long history of mining. The two planets were not specifically parallel, but these might offer some new approach. Relief shimmered into his being. Not only had he found a new idea but he could get away from the vids and archives and get moving again. His Nobek nature couldn’t stand much inactivity.   
He loaded the information onto his handheld and trotted down to their sleeping room. When he stepped inside, there was no one there, yet the space carried agreeable scents of his clanmates, sex, and the flowery scent of Susannah Talcott. A good mix.  
He again frowned at the idea that the little scholar didn’t have all the information she needed to make a sound decision on her own behalf. He understood his Dramok’s thinking, but somehow, it felt wrong to keep back from her the news that her planet had, effectively, been destroyed. He needed to speak with his Imdiko.   
Yet if he knew Tynevek, he was somewhere in the warehouse, enjoying the delights of Susannah, their clan’s Matara for the time being. He wasn’t jealous, but he was aroused at the idea of his Imdiko and the lovely Earther wound in each other’s arms, pursuing rich pleasures and delighted intimacy. Their talk would have to wait, as would any thoughts of joining them.   
He turned to the com unit and set to work. This could not wait.


	6. Chapter 6

ALIEN RESCUE—Fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER SIX

C6, S2  
Tynevek twisted the heavy wire behind the portrait of the Earther Mother and Child, then wound it tightly around the posts that protruded from the frame. He liked this painting, which was old by Earth standards. It depicted a sweet-faced Matara holding out her breast for a plump baby to suckle. He was both aroused by the soft, pale breast and touched by the tender image of the child feeding. He had no difficulty allowing this duality in his views of the picture. He grinned. Breasts were wonderful. Babies were wonderful. Mataras were wonderful.  
He looked up as Susannah came to stand beside him. She had a big smudge of dust on her cheek. He was pleased to note that her face was not so gaunt as it had been when they’d found her down here. He’d kept up his practice of slipping nutritional supplements into her food, boosting her body’s return to a healthy state after who knew how many months she’d been keeping herself just this side of starving. He licked his thumb and wiped the smudge. She smiled.  
“She’s lovely, isn’t she?” Susannah nodded to the painting.  
“Yes. She looks so serene. As if her whole world comes down to simply giving her milk to her little boy.”  
She made a restless sound and moved away, her ponytail swinging across her back. She was wearing a dress today, in a deep shade of green that made her peachy skin glow and showed her long, smooth legs. He followed her as she went into the library, where she ran a loving hand over the spines of her beloved paper books.  
Tynevek took one off a shelf and thumbed through it. “Fairy tales?”  
She smiled. “Do you have fairies on Kalquor?”  
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. What are they?”  
She took down another book, a much bigger one, full of pictures. She found a page and turned the book to show him. An ethereal young woman, clad in a diaphanous gown, floated across a meadow, impossibly delicate wings carrying her along.  
“These are real beings?” He certainly liked the fairy female’s curvy body in the gossamer dress.  
Susannah laughed. “No, although there are many people who believe in them. And many who wish to believe but don’t.”  
“Which are you?”  
“I’m the wishing sort, I suppose.”  
“So fairy tales are stories about things that fairies do?”  
“Not always. Many fairy tales don’t have fairies in them at all. It’s just what we call certain myths and fantasies that appeal mostly to children but adults enjoy them, too.”  
He took her hand and led her to the big chaise lounge. He sat down and pulled her close. “Show me some of your favorite stories. Ones you read as a child.” He put his arm around her waist and laid the books in her lap.  
She cuddled up to him and opened the smaller book. “Here’s one. Beauty and the Beast?”  
“Yes. Read me some of that, little scholar.”  
She sighed as he stroked her arm and kissed her neck. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” There was laughter in her voice.  
“Absolutely. Read, Susannah.”  
“Yes, Imdiko.”  
Her face was all innocence but he gave her a stern look. “Enough sauce, Matara.”  
She giggled but turned back and began to read from the book with its many pictures. While she read, he slid the band from her ponytail and let the waterfall of her shining bronze hair fall down over her back. He listened intently as he combed his fingers through her tresses. He knew he’d have her, but he wanted to savor this time of playing and hearing her soft voice as she read the story of how a lovely young woman saved a monstrous beast through the power of her love. An appealing tale.  
“Would you save that beast if you were the beauty in the story?” he whispered as she reached the words “The End.”  
“If I loved him. Of courssse…” He words ended on a sigh as he mouthed the smooth skin of her neck.  
He chuckled as he licked the delicate shell of her ear. “How would you prove to your beast that you loved him?”  
She turned away and set the books on the floor. She had a sweet, dreamy look on her face, and he thought the pretty fairies in the pictures had nothing on her. She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him down over her on the chaise. He came to her with a growl as his desire flared. She kissed him tenderly. He gazed down at her, watching her desire grow in her eyes.  
“How else would you prove it? Tell me your story. Show me.”  
She took one of his hands. “I’d let him touch my breasts.” Her words were soft as breaths. She placed his hand on one full, delicious breast and arched so it pressed into his hand. “I’d let him do what he liked to them. Hold them. Rub them. Kiss them.” Her voice went softer. “Suck them. Bite them.”  
He sank his mouth to her and sucked a nipple up into his mouth. He pulled hard and she gasped, arching upward. He lifted her up and quickly stripped her, leaving her bare and open to his hands, his mouth. Her breasts were warm and smooth and inviting. He placed his lips to her nipple again and began to torment it with licking and suckling and hard little nips that made her writhe in his arms.  
He lifted his mouth from her. “What else, precious girl? What else would you give your beast?”  
“I’d take his mouth.” He loved the breathless way she spoke. “I’d bite that full, warm lip and suck his tongue in deep, so he could make love to my mouth.”  
“Oh, that sounds nice, beauty.”  
She put her hands to his head and lifted him so she could dart in and take his lower lip, sucking it into her mouth first, then giving it a sharp bite, not quite drawing blood. The quick pain excited him. She released the bite, then opened her lips, inviting him into her warmth.  
He pressed her back, needing to reclaim his dominance. He bore her down into the chaise as he delved deep, his tongue sweeping through the slick confines of her mouth, twining around her tongue, sucking it hard. Then, he began to dart his tongue in and out, in and out, roughly stroking hers.  
Their little scholar was already growing wise in the ways of lovemaking. Her sweet seduction reached something deep inside him. He could envision a future with this woman. In fact, it was an idea he entertained often, of late. After a while, he pulled back and stared into her beautiful, dreamy eyes. “And then? What will you give next?”  
She pressed her lips to his neck. “Whatever he wants. Whatever pleases my beast. My body would be his and he could have whatever he desires.”  
He wanted to howl at her eager whispers and how her body went soft and pliant beneath him. Her legs parted and to his further excitement, she turned her head and bared her slender neck. Her offering was irresistible. He bit her tender flesh, not using his fangs, but tasting and holding and marking her. Claiming her.  
He slid a hand down her satiny curves, over her hip, stroking over the tender joining of hip to thigh. He stroked inward, lower, and found her already wet and warm. A growl of pure lust rumbled through him as he heard her draw in a breath, waiting, excited, for his touch. Waiting, knowing he would bring her pleasure. Trusting him even in her need.  
Had anything ever made him so proud as when she surrendered to him in this way? Had he ever felt anything so potent? Yes, he had his clanmates, but his Dramok and Nobek were powerful, dominating lovers. And while he was more submissive by nature, it was rare that Tynevek was allowed to release his own natural Kalquorian dominance over a lover. Susannah brought all of it to the fore and when she submitted to him, handing over her body and spirit to him, he was almost swamped by his response to her vulnerability. He felt his ardor increase to an almost savage level. Long-unmet needs raged to the fore. He grabbed her up and held her high on his chest so he could kiss her savagely.  
“This is what I desire,” he said hotly. “You.”  
He laid her down on the chaise again and spent more time loving her breasts with his mouth, holding her down with a hand lightly woven in her hair, holding her in place. She writhed and sighed, her skin blushing with desire. All the while, his hand plied her feminine flesh, urging her to madness, needing to hear her moans mounting on the air. Needing to feel her try to squirm away, only to go still at his soft snarl.  
Susannah’s moan rose to a wavering cry. Her hands came up, her nails sinking into the flesh of his shoulders, digging deep. As he pumped her, firmly, they began to rake at him, stinging deliciously. She was soon panting, begging, groaning. His cocks were hard and full almost to bursting. He would need to take her soon, but not before he’d wrung pleasure from her sweet body, a pleasure that was all for her.  
“Pretty Susannah,” he crooned against her breast. He twisted his fingers inside her sheath and felt for that spot inside her that he knew made her clench and shout. He stroked it and earned her gratifying response. He slowed and stopped. Her little fists pounded at his shoulders.  
“Tynevek, please!”  
He chuckled. She was so close, now. He loved that he knew her body that well. He wanted to see her lovely face when she came, feel her wild delight.  
“All right, my beauty. Come for me, darling girl.”  
He played on her every nerve. The keening wail she gave as she released seemed to ring throughout his being, a rush of sheer male pride that made him want to bellow. When she was complete, going slack beneath him, he took his time gentling her, murmuring to her even though the glaze of her eyes told him she barely registered his words.  
He wanted to grant her all the time in the world to savor her pleasure, but his own body was demanding its share. He stroked her long hair and let his hand drift lower, to where her nipples were a dark rose from his play.  
Whatever he wants. Whatever pleases my beast. My body would be his and he could have whatever he desires.  
He looked at the beautiful, soft mounds and felt a painful grip of desire in his loins. He unabashedly adored her full, round breasts. Kyrnis had once joked that if he could, Tynevek would decorate their home with breasts. He’d only laughed, adding that Kyrnis would contribute lush female mouths as accent pieces and they’d agreed that Denar would insist on furniture in the shape of women’s shapely asses. Right now, holding a real woman, he knew there was no substitute for Susannah’s gorgeous gifts. A fresh hunger rose in him and he knew what he wanted next. The beast in him growled approval.  
He kissed her, then lifted her up so she was half-sitting against the raised end of the chaise. He rose up and straddled her thighs. He lowered himself over her and gently rubbed his erect cocks over her breasts. She sighed and smiled up at him, her lovely eyes half-closed in sexual lethargy. He leaned down and murmured against her temple.  
“Enclose me in your lovely breasts. Hold me there.”  
She looked hesitant until he laid his larger cock between the satiny mounds. Then she smiled another of her lovely, drowsy smiles and put her hands to the sides of her breasts, pressing inward. As the warmth of her flesh engulfed him, he moaned. It was an act he’d experienced only once before and that female had been blessed with neither Susannah’s lush bounty nor her sweet willingness. It had not been a stellar experience. For her to welcome his hard, needy cock, to nestle it in her satiny hold was a pleasure that almost made him shake. She was the stuff of his fantasies, his own erotic fairy tale, this lovely Earther.  
His natural lubricant poured forth, eased his way as he slid upward. He was longer than the valley between her breasts could really accommodate, but he didn’t care. If she only took half of him, it would be bliss. He slid down, swelling with increased desire, adding to his aching anticipation. This was a feeling unlike any other, not like being inside her sheath or her backside or her mouth. This was different, softer, and it was a delicious torment all its own. His joy rose with every small movement.  
She gazed up into his eyes. Her look was tender and welcoming. “I like this, my beast. You’re so big and hard and warm against me. I didn’t know anything about this.” She blinked. “Am I doing it right?”  
His rhythm stuttered. “Perfectly,” was all he could manage to say.  
Her smile in return was all delight. His insides clenched as she then lowered her gaze to watch his excited flesh pump in and out of her hold. His smaller cock, slipping up and down over her smooth belly was equally pleasured. She gave a long, humming sound of approval. He swelled again, expanding against the lush, plump flesh she offered so readily.  
By all the ancients, if she asked for his head on a platter right now, he’d hand it over without a moment’s hesitation. She didn’t realize, he suspected, the power she wielded over him—over them all—just by virtue of her eager, feminine responses.  
His eyes closed as a wave of ecstasy surged through him. He had no more thought, only joyful need. He held himself up, his hands braced on the wall above her head and surrendered himself to the elemental glory of pumping his hips, pushing his cock in and out of the delicious, warm haven she created for him.  
His pleasure built and built. He could feel his climax tingling at the base of his spine and speeding toward the tips of his cocks. He pumped faster, eagerly, almost frantic now. He looked down at the beautiful woman still concentrating faithfully on holding him firmly, her lovely breasts enclosing him, and he knew he was lost.  
At the last second before he erupted, he placed his hand over the tip of his cock, shielding her face as he began to spurt. Suns burst in his mind as he lost all control. He spasmed and groaned and writhed. His sweet partner moaned encouragement, never once letting her hands release their hold at her sides.  
He was shaking when he finished and it was a long while before he could finally move again. He slid his cock free of her flesh and gave her a long, tender kiss. He reached for his formsuit and used it to tenderly, gently, wipe his seed from her body.  
“Thank you for...for covering…” She colored up, shyly.  
He kissed her again, swiftly. “I have no wish to ejaculate on your beautiful face, Matara. Even if you wished it, it would be difficult for me. Some like it, but to me it is disrespectful.”  
“You liked the rest of it, though?”  
He tossed aside his formsuit and gathered her up, laughing and hugging her close. “Are you fishing for compliments, beauty?”  
“No. Maybe.” She peeked at him from under her lashes. “I’ve never done that before. Well, you know I haven’t. I just wanted to be sure.”  
He chuckled. “If I had liked it any more, you would have had to call my clanmates to haul my unconscious body off of you. I’ve been dreaming about having you that way since I first saw you naked.” He stroked her hair. “You held me so perfectly. You never let me go. Thank you for making your beast very, very happy.”  
He scooted around so he could lie down with her on his chest. His legs dangled off the end of the chaise, but he didn’t mind. Susannah was such a sweet weight draped over his body and he was so sated, nothing could bother him, he thought.  
“You were wonderful, precious one.” He hugged her tight. “I’m happy to be your beast.”  
She lifted her head and smiled. “You were very beastly. You wouldn’t let me come and then you made me come so hard I saw stars.” She waved a hand in the air as she was brushing away a swarm of stars. “Fairy tales can be fun.”  
He smiled. She was still under the euphoric influence of their lovemaking. He was happy for her. His sweet scholar deserved to float.  
“You did the same to me.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then tilted up her chin to look at her face. “Hmm. Such blushing cheeks and red, swollen lips. You look like a fairy who’s been very naughty.”  
Her delicious laughter came bubbling up. “I think you crushed my wings.”  
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I’ll get out that old steam iron from the Domestics Chamber and press them for you.”  
“Ouch! They need fluffing, not flattening!”  
They snickered and he tickled her sides, making her shriek and wiggle on top of him. He smiled into her eyes, enjoying seeing his studious little partner letting go and having fun.  
“You’re a treasure, my Susannah.”  
“Ooh. And I just bet you’d love to go on a treasure hunt, wouldn’t you?” She wriggled against him suggestively.  
He threw his head back and laughed. “Let me have a minute to recover, my indefatigable fairy.”  
She went into gales at the expression. “Indefatigable fairy! Oh, I like how that sounds!”  
He hugged her again. “You’re so funny. You’re going to be a delightful mother, my sweet. A fine Matara.”  
“No, I’m not. ” Her giggles were subsiding into grins. “No children for me.”  
His stomach gave a sudden lurch. “What do you mean?”  
She shrugged. “I mean, I’m never going to have children. I don’t want them.”  
He scowled, hardly able to comprehend her words. Had sex addled his brain? He stopped to think. To gather his feelings.  
He spoke slowly, carefully. “Sweetling, you may be pregnant even now. You’ve had sex with all of us. Many times. And we have not had our regular contraceptive injections in weeks, as we are planning to go home soon.”  
“Not possible.” She pressed soft little kisses to his chest. “I take anti-fertility drugs. Noxovul, the strongest there is.”  
“You will want children someday, yes?” He could hear the slight tremor in his voice, even as he tried to keep his tone light. It angered him to betray his need.  
She shook her head. “No. I’m not going to bring a child into this world with all this war and all this crazy religious nonsense. I’m perfectly happy to stay right here, just as I am, child-free.”  
He felt rage come boiling up his spine, overtaking his reason. He set her aside and left the chaise. If he didn’t get away, he’d say something he’d regret. He grabbed his formsuit and his boots and fled the chamber. Her heard her call his name, her voice surprised and then hurt.  
He didn’t care. He didn’t look back. He ran for the stairs. 

C6, S1  
“What the hell’s happened to our Imdiko?” Kyrnis turned to Denar as they sat at the kitchen table. “Two days ago, he was fine. Now he’s gripey—”  
“Grouchy,” Denar interjected.  
“Grouchy and gripey and twice now he’s avoided coming to bed until we’re all asleep. Why is he so pissing off against us?”  
“I think it’s ‘pissed off at us,’ but never mind.” Denar frowned into his mug as if the chai inside would tell him what was happening with their clanmate. “He had sex with Susannah the other day. Good sex. I heard them.”  
Kyrnis nodded knowingly. “She screams so nicely when she comes.”  
“It wasn’t too long after her happy-screaming, that Tynevek came down with his grouchiness. But good sex wouldn’t put our Imdiko out of temper. Susannah’s breasts alone practically make him sing.” He shrugged. “If I made him angry, I’m sorry, but I don’t know when or how I did it.”  
Kyrnis raised his hands. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t pissed him off against us. I haven’t even taken my revenge on the two of you for that damned vid you made of Susannah and me.”  
“We’re going to have to talk to him. Secrets in the clan are bad.”  
The two of them cornered Tynevek that night after Susannah had gone down to take her shower. Denar looked at his longtime friend and clanmate and saw anger and sadness warring in the Imdiko’s eyes.  
“You’re upset,” he said without preamble. “Tell us why. Is it something we’ve done?”  
“I don’t want to talk about it. It’s my problem, not yours.” Tynevek stared down at his hands, avoiding their eyes.  
Kyrnis scowled. “What kind of crap is that?”  
“Kyrnis.” Denar’s voice was stern. Their Nobek was smart, strong, and unfailingly loyal. Tact, however, had never been one of his strengths.  
Kyrnis was immediately contrite. “I’m sorry, Imdiko. But if one member of the clan has a problem, then we all have a problem. You know this.”  
Tynevek shook his head. “I don’t want to spoil it for you.”  
“Spoil what for us?” Denar eyed his clanmate sharply.  
Tynevek resisted. Denar didn’t really want to pull rank, but he would if he had to. Kyrnis was right. They were a clan and clanmates shared both good fortune and bad.  
“Tynevek.” He tapped his Imdiko’s knee. “I’m tired. Don’t make us beat it out of you.”  
Tynevek sighed, then glowered. “She refuses to have children.”  
“Susannah?” Kyrnis shook his head. “Sorry, who else would she be?”  
Denar felt a sudden chill inside himself. “She told you this?”  
“Yes. The other day. I told her she was going to be a wonderful Matara someday and she said she was never going to have children. The world is too harsh and crazy for children, she believes.”  
“Shit.” Denar knew Susannah had touched a nerve with his sensitive Imdiko.  
“She is sterilized?” Kyrnis was clearly distressed. “I thought that was a punishment for Earther women who were too sexual for their husbands’ comfort.” He said the last words like a bad taste in his mouth.  
Tynevek’s eyes were almost black with emotion. “She might as well be, but it is her choice. She’s on strong anti-fertility meds. Noxovul. I know this drug. It is very, very powerful. She probably hasn’t menstruated in years.”  
Kyrnis growled. “Susannah is so smart. Why would she do that to her body?”  
Denar looked at Tynevek. His expression spoke of deep anguish. Denar’s heart constricted at the sight. It looked like his clanmate was being torn in two. He cleared his throat.  
“Have you fallen in love with her, my Imdiko?”  
Tynevek shook his head. “I don’t think so. But she is so special and beautiful. I thought she might be the one for us.”  
Denar stared at the far wall, considering. “It’s hard for us to understand. Here we are, watching our race die out, and everything in us clamors for reproduction. But for Earthers, it’s not the same. They take their fertility for granted. Until recently, contraception was a choice for all women, especially because their population was growing too rapidly to keep up with their planet’s resources.”  
“I know. But I can’t accept it.” Tynevek’s voice was tight. “I won’t.”  
“Is that why you haven’t been sleeping with us?” Kyrnis ventured.  
Tynevek nodded. “I can’t be near her and not want to be inside her, to make love with her. But I can’t stand the idea that she will never be a real Matara. I don’t want to touch her, knowing this.”  
“Will you stay away from our bed indefinitely?”  
Denar’s heart filled with sadness. He and Tynevek had shared a bed for more than ten years. The idea of his adored Imdiko not being by his side made him feel hollow. He looked at Kyrnis and saw the same sorrow and hurt in his face.  
“I know,” Tynevek said plaintively. “I hate this. But until I know what to do with my feelings about her, I can’t be there. And I can’t ask you two to kick her out of bed. I’d never ask that of you. I know what a delight she is and how good it is to have a female. You need to have this time with her.”  
Denar drew a long breath. “Have you spoken with Susannah about this?”  
“No. She was so sure, Denar. So completely determined. There’s nothing I can do to change her mind. Nothing I can do that wouldn’t violate both the laws of Kalquor and my own ethics. Or, make her hate us more for taking her away from here.”  
Kyrnis’ fists clenched, but his eyes were sad. “There may be some time before our unit gets here. That’s a long time for us to do without you.”  
“I am sorry.” Tynevek looked at each of them in turn. “You’ll do fine. You have Susannah. Please, I mean it, my mates. Enjoy her. She’s a rare gem.”  
He rose and left the room.  
Denar scrubbed at his face. “Well, this is a development.”  
Kyrnis frowned. “We don’t have to actually sleep with Susannah. Each of us has had her in different places around the storehouse. Perhaps she can sleep apart. Then Tynevek can be with us in the sleeping room at night.”  
“It’s a thought. But I’m not sure Tynevek would accept that. He knows what a joy it is to have her with us when we sleep.”  
“And as our caregiver, he’ll argue that we need her with us. We’ve all been saying how much better rested we’ve felt lately.” He smiled. “A lot of that is due to finally getting regular sex with a female.”  
“I know what you mean, though, my Nobek. Being able just to smell her hair or pull her close at night is a deep satisfaction. Tynevek is too smart to believe we’d be happy to give that up while we’re still down here with her.”  
“But he’s our clanmate. Not sharing a woman? Not sharing a bed? That feels wrong.”  
“I know.”  
Denar stood and roamed the room, trying to think how to solve this new wrinkle in their Susannah problem. Kyrnis was right: it did feel wrong, almost disloyal, to allow Tynevek to sleep alone while they shared a bed and a woman without him. At the same time, he couldn’t help sensing that suddenly banishing Susannah from their bed would hurt her, too.  
He also doubted anything would change the Curator’s mind about children. It was one thing to persuade her to leave the storehouse. It was quite another to impose their values on her body. The Earthers in power had already done enough of that sort of crap on their own. He wasn’t about to begin acting like them.  
“Do you mind that she doesn’t want to have children?” Kyrnis spoke from across the room.  
Denar looked away, pretending to study a portrait on the wall. “No. Do you?”  
“Not as much as Tynevek. Losing all of his fathers in one accident was a big blow to him. They were fine men who raised him with great care. It’s no wonder he wants to be one of them.”  
Denar turned to face him. “But wouldn’t you reject Susannah because she didn’t want children?”  
Kyrnis was silent for a long time. “No. I don’t think I would. Because honestly, Denar? I do have those feelings for her. I think I’d want her even if she declared she wanted to birth a litter of puppies.”  
Denar froze. “You love her?” He raised a hand. “Sorry, I know you’d never say anything like that. But I need to know what you really want.”  
Kyrnis nodded. “She’s like no other. I’m not pushing to clan her. But I wanted you to know. That’s a big decision. And now we know Tynevek will never accept her, even if it was allowed on our mission.”  
Love! Children! Damn, but he didn’t want to even think about children. Ever.  
Denar sat down on the lounger. Things were getting more complicated by the minute. It was his job as Dramok to sort this out but he wasn’t seeing any way this could play out in which damage wasn’t done to people he cared about. How was he going to make it through this week before an explosion—this time from inside the storehouse—rocked them all?

C6, S3  
“Where is Tynevek?”  
Susannah looked around the sleeping room. Kyrnis and Denar had been energetic and inventive in their lovemaking the night before, binding her in hover cuffs and taking their own sweet, wicked time, tormenting her body until she was begging and shrieking for release. She’d been deliciously weary once they’d removed the restraints and gathered her close to pet and admire her. She’d sailed right off to sleep, their praises still murmuring in her ears, the warmth of their bodies lulling her. Now it was morning and there was no sign the doctor had ever joined them.  
“Working late,” Denar told her. “He’s using your resources to do more research on Earther medicine.”  
“Oh. I miss him.”  
“We do, too.” Kyrnis got up and pulled her to her feet. “But the day is wasting. You and I have maintenance and baking to do today.” He gave her a spank. “To the showers, recruit.”  
She giggled and hustled, covering her bare bottom protectively as he chased her to the bath. When they came up for breakfast, she saw Tynevek had already eaten and gone about his tasks. She sat while the other men fed her, but she was watchful. They were keeping a secret from her. It surely had something to do with the Imdiko, but she wasn’t sure what that might be.  
He’d run from her the other day, after they had played Beauty and the Beast together. She’d been so drugged with the languor of their lovemaking that she’d fallen asleep almost as soon as he’d left the chaise where they’d lain. Her memory had been foggy, except to know that they’d had wonderful sex. Had she said or done something to anger him? Was he ill? Did he suddenly decide she wasn’t desirable after all?  
As she went about her maintenance rounds, she thought about it some more. She’d become Kalquorian-obsessed. She wanted to look at them, be near them, touch them, almost every minute of every day. The only times when she did not have a clanmate or three on the brain was when she was deeply immersed in research or performing complicated storehouse tasks.  
Sex was heavenly. She’d known it must be or so much wouldn’t haven’t been written and sung about it. So many paintings and pics and vids dealt with it and she’d even seen a few rare examples of what had been deemed pornography during the purges of the last century. But now she really understood why humans had focused on it so much through the ages. It was just plain fantastic. A sweet drug, a thrill ride, a comforter, a stress-reliever, a bonding rite, not to mention a means of reproduction. It was laden with meaning and emotion and biology, all at once.  
Sex with Kalquorians was mind-stealing. True, she had nothing to compare it with, but she knew sex with multiple partners at once was a serious crime on Earth. Had any of those laws changed since the war began? She didn’t see how and she really didn’t care. She was not part of that world aboveground. Her romance novels were also all about love and sex between just two people, period, not multiples. There was also the matter of two penises per one male. That was certainly outside the realm of regular Earther sex. Still, she suspected that with their uninhibited, unabashed joy of the act, Kalquorians were, in general, sexual beasts. Earth’s gov would condemn them all.  
Her Kalquorians were amazing sexual beasts. No matter how hard they worked and how hard they exercised and played, they were never too tired to couple with her every night and often during the day, in addition. They were tireless, big time sex fans, and they were making her one, as well.  
Yet there was more. They were sneaking into her heart despite her attempts to keep this time in perspective. There had never been anything in the security documents for the storehouse that outlined what should be done in the event that one fell in love with an invading force. Although, she suspected it wasn’t really endorsed. Still, when she woke and saw them beside her in the mornings, her heart leapt. When she watched them diving and racing in the pool, it wasn’t just their gorgeous, naked bodies that drew her attention. She also watched their close friendship, their sense of fun. Their lust for life. Even though they made it clear they were dominant in bed, the rest of the time they talked with her, consulted her, respected her, shared their thoughts.  
Was this normal for Earther males? How could she know, save for her data banks and those were fairly dry. The three men were so caring of her and of each other, despite their rough play and teasing. She’d been alone in the storehouse for a long time and until they had come, she’d never really felt at ease. She was prepared to protect herself, but it wasn’t the same. Since they’d been here, she’d felt as if no matter what happened, they’d protect her. She wasn’t alone.  
That wasn’t a good thing. She was a Curator, now and always.  
Susannah shook her head as she walked back to her own room. She was growing too attached to the Kalquorians. If she didn’t back away, her heart would never withstand their departure. She would spend her days in lost in loneliness and grief.  
Maybe it was good that Tynevek was rejecting her. She was already too fond of the beautiful Imdiko. Denar was much more than merely bossy—he was witty, and knowledgeable, and fair. And Kyrnsis? He was just plain wild, physical fun.  
Oh, yes, she was in danger of having her heart broken. Yes, perhaps it was best that at least one of them had already pulled away from her. One less alien to make her heart ache when they said goodbye. She should embrace it for the relief it brought. She was going to see if she could stand to sleep alone in her own bed tonight. She needed to get re-accustomed to solitude. She didn’t relish the prospect.  
Sure, she could do that. Just as soon as she figured out how to get past the hunger she had for the perfection of having three Kalquorians at once. Her hunger for every member of Clan Denar.  
Things came to a head the following day. She was alone with Tynevek as they worked in the archaeological area. He had smiled at her when he’d joined her and she’d relaxed. Maybe he didn’t hate her.  
“This fossil reminds me of xhotsizinia lizards.” He held up the sample he was helping to catalog. “We have them near our home on Kalquor. They like to lay their eggs in small cracks in the mountain face.”  
“Is your house near the mountains?”  
He smiled. “Our home is inside the mountains.”  
“Inside? In caves?” She paused to consider. “But you’re so advanced. Why don’t you have houses?”  
“Kalquor is beautiful and we love to be out in nature whenever we can.” He handed the fossil to her so she could use the micro-blaster to delicately clean the specimen. “We’ve deliberately chosen to limit the number of buildings that might obscure the landscape or change it unnaturally. We have lots of mountains and we’ve always been a mining planet, so we build inside the mountains.”  
She blinked. “But isn’t it dark? And cold?”  
He smiled. “Is it dark and cold here in the storehouse, Curator?”  
Sometimes, she almost said. Though not lately. “No. As you’ve seen, we have lots of artificial light and vids to simulate day and night.”  
“So do we. We also have large reflective pipes built from the outside so that natural light is conducted into the interiors, even on the deepest levels, without the need for fuels or lamps.” He used a small, soft brush to clean another lizard specimen, his surgeon’s hands wielding the delicate tool with infinite care. “We also build many homes with balconies that open to the outside. On the cliffs. It’s very beautiful.”  
She shook her head. “I would love to see that. Kyrnis says your oceans are emerald green with pink sand. Does the pink color come from minerals in your soil or on the sea bottom? Or maybe from plant or animal life in the area?”  
He stopped and turned to face her, beaming. “So much to learn, eh, little scholar? What a feast it will be when you get there.”  
Cold descended over her and she turned away. She busied herself documenting the nearest specimen. “I’m not going with you to Kalquor.”  
“I think you’ll find my Dramok has other ideas, Susannah.” His voice was kind but he sounded very convinced.  
“He’s not my Dramok.”  
“No, but he is in charge. You must understand that.”  
“Why doesn’t he understand how important it is for me to stay here?” She inched toward him and laid a hand on his arm. “Do you know what the Collection is to me? It’s my clan, Tynevek.”  
He frowned in puzzlement. “Now I don’t understand.”  
“When you three were clanned, you became connected in a special way. You look out for each other, you take care of each other, you put the clan’s needs before your own, yes?”  
“Yes.”  
“That’s what the Collection, the Project, is to me. I made a vow and I am connected to it in a special way. You know this. I look out for it, I take care of it, I put its needs before my own. Don’t you see?”  
One long hand cupped her cheek. She yearned to lean into the warmth but held herself back. This was too important.  
“No, beauty, you’re the one who doesn’t see. In the clan, I care for the others and they care for me. These artifacts cannot return the care you lavish on them. It is a closed system, going only one way. And that’s not how a young, healthy, intelligent woman should live. You deserve someone to share your life. Someone who can give back when your wondrous, compassionate heart and brilliant mind showers them with your gifts.”  
“But I can’t give up and just walk away! There’s too much at stake. It’s far bigger than just me or what I want.”  
He nodded. “I can feel how hard this is for you. I see how much you want to give this gift to your world. But you’re strong enough to face this change. You’ve faced far worse and come through stronger than before, yes?”  
“I still say I can repair any leaks, make things secure. What if someone else came down to stay with me here? Then I wouldn’t be alone.”  
His face and eyes, so friendly and warm, went suddenly hard and cold. She drew back, shocked.  
“Who would you have come down here with you?”  
“Maybe there’s another Project agent I contact. There are some protocols in place for other agents to come in, if needed. Another man who’d be able to protect—”  
“Not possible.” He cut her off with a voice like a knife. “No one else will be permitted to be down here with you.”  
She was startled at his sudden vehemence. He all but spat the words. She watched in astonishment as he moved off and pointed a finger at her. He growled, brows drawn.  
“No one else, Susannah. Do you understand that? No one.” He turned and headed toward the door.  
“Tynevek, wait!”  
He left. She slumped back as the door hissed shut behind him.  
She couldn’t fathom him. For days on end, he was ignoring her, refusing to touch her or even look at her. Now, just as he was beginning relax and speak to her, suddenly he was angry again, yelling at her and then walking out in a rage. What was it about her that made him so mad? She wanted to have him smile at her again. To kiss and hold her and laugh with her.  
Her heart ached. Things were getting worse. She wanted them so much. She was starting to need them. This separation was going to tear her to pieces.

C6, S4  
Tynevek reported to his clanmates later. “She’s asking to have someone else come down and join her here. A man, who can protect her and the storehouse.”  
Denar hissed. “Another male?”  
“She can’t mean it,” Kyrnis growled.  
“She does. She’s serious.” Tynevek prowled their quarters. “She compared the Collection to a clan. She believes if she abandons it, she’ll be a failure and a traitor to her vows.”  
“A clan?” Denar shook his head. “She’s too intelligent to make that analogy.”  
“She’s not using her intellect,” Kyrnis said. “She’s using her heart. Her big, soft, loyal heart.” He clenched his fist. “But heart or no heart, I’ll be damned if I’ll let some other man come and live with her.”  
“We can’t let her stay down here, my Dramok.” Tynevek’s hands were uncharacteristically clenched, as if ready to fight.  
Denar ground his teeth. “She’s making me crazy. She’s stubborn and intractable and naive and she doesn’t see what she’s asking is insane!”  
“I say we clan her,” Kyrnis rumbled.  
Denar shook his head. “She has to want to be clanned and right now do you really think that’s likely?”  
“Then what?”  
Denar rose, drawing himself up, chin lifting. “It’s time to stop babying her. I have the power to remove her and I’ll be damned if I’ll let her usurp that authority.”  
He was out the door in a flash.  
Kyrnis looked at Tynevek. “Should we go after him?”  
Tynevek shook his head. “He won’t hurt her.”  
Kyrnis bit his lip and sat back in his chair. “If he disciplines her, she might be damaged. Not physically but emotionally.”  
“I think she’ll be all right.” Tynevek began to circle the room again. “But if his method doesn’t work, we have to come up with some way to lure her out of here. Off this damn deadly rock.”  
“What lure could possibly compare to the Collection?”  
Tynevek looked at him, startled. Then, slowly, light began to brighten in his eyes. “Kyrnis, my Nobek, you are a genius!”  
Kyrnis waved a dismissive hand. “Old news. What’s up?”


	7. Chapter 7

ALIEN RESCUE—Fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER SEVEN

C7, S1  
Susannah stood her ground and watched the angry Dramok circle the gallery. The portrait collection stared at him from their frames. She wished they’d come to her defense against the stalking giant with the thunder cloud expression on his striking face. But paintings weren’t going to speak. She had to speak for herself. For the Project.  
“It’s no use, Denar. You must understand that I made a vow to preserve our culture, our knowledge, the story of who we are. The Project was founded decades ago. Men and women have lived and died to create and protect the Collection. Some of them were caught and tortured. None of them gave up the nature and location of the storehouses, and some of them were put to death for it.” Her eyes stung with tears. “I can’t betray that vow. I won’t leave the storehouse.”  
He paced some more. She could see he was weighing what she said, but it didn’t lessen his anger. He stopped at last and stood before her, his eyes ink-dark with passion.  
“I understand what the Project means to you, Susannah. I respect your loyalty and your commitment. What you’ve done here is astonishing and I know your heart holds it dear.” He raised a hand and swept it around the space. “But I won’t let you stay.”  
Her fists and jaw clenched. “You just don’t see—”  
He cut her off. “I see enough, Susannah. I see you clinging to a life that is no longer here. I see you holding onto a shared vision that has been forever altered. That’s no longer shared. I see your face light up when we talk about traveling in space, going to other worlds and seeing things you can never see if you stay down here.”  
“But—”  
“Hear me out. You’re a young, intelligent, beautiful, desirable woman with a lust for life, Susannah. How long do you think you can live, suppressing that fire in you, before you run mad? How long will you last, living alone with just the memories of others? A woman like you needs challenge, and love, and a way of giving her gifts to the world, right now, in the flesh, and not in some far off, unknown future to generations unborn.”  
His eyes flared but his voice went softer. Somehow, that made it more threatening.   
“Did you think you had fooled us, Susannah? Did you think when you appeared in our sleeping room, naked and asking for sex, that we didn’t know what was going on inside you? You turned to three alien beings to introduce you to sex. You gave the precious gift of your first time to men who are not even members of your species. I’m not complaining—making love to Susannah Talcott is by far my favorite activity in this or any other world—but admit it, little scholar, didn’t you come to us at first because you knew we might be your only chance to have sex, ever?”  
She opened her mouth to deny it, but she couldn’t. It was the truth, whether she liked to admit it or not. She had turned to them out of fear that she would die without ever experiencing sex, or at least grow too old to hope. They had shown her so much more than just sex. Still, she had to stay.  
He was so close she could feel the heat pouring off his chest. She wanted to step back but she was helpless to move. He was toweringly, mesmerizingly angry.  
“I will not leave you down here, alone.” His voice was hot with fury. “And no, I will not allow anyone else down here with you. I’ve been bowing to Tynevek’s request not to force you.” His voice hardened. “That’s over. You will not resist us anymore. Like I told you the first day we were here: if I have to, I will tie you up and haul you out of here over my shoulder. I’ll have Tynevek give you an injection and when you wake up, we’ll be far out in space!”  
Her hands fisted at her sides. “You wouldn’t dare!”  
“Try me.”   
“You don’t understand--”  
“No, you don’t understand. I can’t allow you to stay down here.”  
“That is my choice to make! You are not in charge here, and if I want to go on living in my home, I will. You’re just being a bully!  
His hand flashed out and grabbed her wrist. “Be silent!”  
She flinched. He softened his grip but he didn’t let go. “Listen to me. I am more interested in your life than in all these things you hold so dear. Not one of the objects in this storehouse is more precious than that. Not one work of art is as valuable as a strand of your beautiful hair or your lovely eyes. No old book can match the wonder of your breathing or your heartbeat. The whole of this Collection is nothing in comparison with the miracle of you!”  
She swallowed, trembling. He went on, his voice dark with feeling. “And not just you, the woman we love. Any living being, with blood in their veins and a beating heart is more precious than all these things. When it comes down to a choice, I will choose life, here and now, every time.”  
“And I choose to live here!”  
“But you’re not going to be living here! You’re going to be dying!”  
She stared, flummoxed. “What are you saying?”  
“Earth has been destroyed! Nuclear explosions have gone off in all the major populations of your world. Fully seventy-five percent of the population is dead. There is no future. No life!”  
She wrenched her wrist away and stepped back, her whole being suddenly cold. “You’re crazy. You’re just saying that to get me to come with you.”  
He stood rooted, his gaze never wavering. “Test me, Susannah. Ask my clan. Go up above and see for yourself as soon as we can get through the rocks. Your world will be uninhabitable in three years’ time. Maybe less.”  
She kept backing way, sickness swelling inside her. She fought tears from welling up. “Why would you say anything so absurd? So cruel?”  
“I have to get through to you! I didn’t want to tell you like this but I’ve run out of time. You’re running out of time. Radiation will begin leaking through the soil, into this place. No one is coming to deliver supplies. No one is coming to join you. There is looting and destruction everywhere. Gangs roam wild up above. Tragooms. Renegade military. It’s chaos.”  
“No!”  
“Susannah, listen--”  
“Stop it, Denar!”  
“I’m telling you the truth--”  
“No! No more!”  
She turned and fled through the door to the central stairs. Her feet clattered and her mind whirled as she raced for the lowest level, for her own room. She had to get away from him. Away from the clan. They had tricked her. Lied to her. Played her for a fool.  
She shoved through the doors of each level as she ran. When she reached the bottom, she ran for her room, burst in, and slammed her hand on the button to close the door. She stood, shaking, just staring as it swung to, closing her in, safe from angry, lying aliens.   
Oh, she knew they could get the door open if they wanted. She was the idiot who’d shown them every plan and control in the entire storehouse system. Even if she hadn’t, they were strong enough to just break it down. If they wanted to get to her, drug her, drag her out, they could.  
She didn’t care. She was alone for now and she was seething with so many emotions she felt like a bare power cable, surging and writhing. Betrayal. Humiliation. Hurt. Anger. Sorrow. They chased each other around and around her mind.   
Nuclear explosions? What rot. They wouldn’t even be here if the world above had been annihilated. She wasn’t sure why they were lying, why they wanted to lure her out of the storehouse but they were willing to say anything, do anything to take her out. The war hadn’t ended. She would have known if it had. Maybe these Kalquorians were just what the government had been claiming: sexual predators, marauders, taking women for their own uses. Maybe they were spies from their government or from hers, sent to take over the Collection. Maybe they were slavers.   
But they were not her friends. Not her loves.   
She had believed in them. Trusted them. That was what stung. She had been willing to give herself to them and to allow them access to every part of the storehouse. True, they could have taken what they wanted by force, but how much easier to get the Curator to deliver everything--including sex--of her own volition! She’d been monumentally stupid.   
She’d handed over her heart, as well. She knew that now. She’d fallen in love with them and while she knew it would be a horrible wrench when they left, she’d been willing to risk it because, well, because she was naive little geek who’d never been in love before. Never been really kissed. Never had a boyfriend. She didn’t resent her life below ground, and she didn’t pity herself for it, but they weren’t entitled to take advantage of her inexperience. She’d trusted them.  
She paced back and forth in the small space. It would be a relief to go to the running track or the pool and expend some of the energy that was buzzing through her, but she didn’t want to chance running into one or all of them. She’d stay here.   
She thought of Kyrnis and Tynevek. She knew they would side with their Dramok over anyone else. She’d learned that much about the loyalty of Kalquorian clans. She just hadn’t expected they’d allow Denar to make up stories and threaten her and...and...  
She sank onto her bed.   
And break her heart.   
Funny, friendly Kyrnis with his wicked mouth and his wild edge. Beautiful Tynevek, who worried over what she ate and who listened so carefully when she talked. She could understand Denar being tough and domineering and unreasonable but not the Nobek and the Imdiko.   
Then again, maybe she was more idiotic than she thought. The friendly pair had softened her up, led her on. Playing Good Alien, Bad Alien. They were just enjoying themselves while they waited for Denar to lower the boom and then drag her out of here to whatever fate was waiting for her above. She’d been so besotted with them, they could have told her they were knights of the Round Table and she would have bought into their lies.   
There was nowhere she could turn. Even if she went up to the surface and told the authorities that Kalquorians had taken advantage of her, she would still be blamed and punished for contact with enemies, with males. It would also likely lead to the authorities discovering the storehouse. She wasn’t going to allow that to happen. The world above was at war, anyway. Where could she go, alone?  
Denar had made it sound as if the war was over and Kalquor had won. But his claims were ridiculous. Tears began to sting her eyes, clog her throat. What was so important that Denar would resort to such a ludicrous fiction as nuclear bombs all over the world? Earth’s nuclear weapons had been destroyed ages ago.   
Why would Kalquor bomb Earth when it wanted Earth’s females? There were no threats from other worlds that she knew of, so it couldn’t have been anyone but Kalquor who bombed her home world. But then again, that made absolutely no sense. He must really think she was stupid.   
She bowed her head and covered her face with her hands. Maybe he wasn’t far wrong.   
“Oh, god,” she groaned. It felt like Denar had actually hit her in the chest, her heart hurt so much. Her tears overflowed, slipped between her fingers. She let them come. There was nothing else to do.   
She woke some time later, her face hot and sticky from tears. She looked around, bewildered for a second. Then she heard a sound at her door. She froze. Were they coming in?  
A soft knock. “Susannah?”  
Tynevek. She sat up and brushed away the last of her tears and the sleep from her eyes.  
“I know you’re angry. I brought you some food. I’m going to leave it right outside your door.”  
She heard a scrape and then retreating footsteps. She rose and shook back her hair. Food, huh? Weren’t they afraid her food was contaminated by radiation?   
“I’ll have Tynevek drug you,” Denar had said.   
“Oh no, you don’t.” She was hungry but she wasn’t taking any chances. They would not trick her again. She looked around her little room, glanced at the still vid of her parents on her dresser. Mama had died down here. So had Papa. So had Lena and all the rest. She couldn’t give up on them now. She needed a plan. She settled in to think.  
The next morning, she got up early and was in the kitchen, preparing her breakfast when the clan came in. “Good morning.” She kept her voice polite but cool.   
“Let me help.” Kyrnis was at her side in an instant.   
“No.” She raised a hand, keeping him back. “I’m fine. Let me get my meal and then we need to talk.”  
She glanced at her overcooked omelet and singed toast and winced. Kyrnis was such a good cook, she’d gotten spoiled. Chin up, she turned and carried her plate and her mug of tea to the table and took a seat. Slowly, with wary looks, the clan took their places.   
“I’ve decided you’re right.”  
“Right?” Denar’s voice was carefully neutral.   
“Yes. There is no reason to stay down here anymore. If there have been nuclear detonations, then I will be at risk.”  
“And?”   
She sipped her tea, then softly set it down. “And so I’ve decided to go with you when you leave.”  
The silence that followed her words had height, width, and depth. She took a bite of her sad little omelet and chewed, slowly, as the three men registered shock.   
“You have?” Denar studied her face. “You’ve changed your mind?”  
“I have. I’ve been hanging onto to this place and it’s time for me to move on. I need to grow up and get on with it. I don’t know where to go, though.”  
Tynevek looked to Denar, who nodded. The Imdiko turned his chair to face her more fully. “It’s as we told you on the first day we arrived. We are a rescue and evacuation unit. We are on assignment to find and help as many people as possible and get them to safety, whether on Kalquor or on other worlds or even Earth’s colonies.”  
“Why?”  
The Imdiko blinked. “Why?”  
“Yes. Why bother rescuing Earthers?”  
Kyrnis’ leonine face was stern and still. “Kalquor has won the war, Susannah. Earth is now ours. You are our people.”  
They had used nuclear weapons to win. No, she didn’t know them at all. And she certainly wasn’t one of their people.   
She gave him a bland stare. “The war is over?”   
“It is.” Denar kept his eyes steady on her face. “It was not the way we wanted it to end, but that’s how it is. We hate what happened to Earth and our part in it. We won’t abandon our responsibilities.”  
“So that’s what you were doing when you found me? Tending to your responsibilities?”  
“Yes.” Kyrnis sat ramrod straight in the chair that was sadly small for his big body. “We told you the truth. We made a vow to preserve the people of Earth. To rescue as many as possible.”  
“Women, you mean.”  
“Not just women.” Tynevek’s eyes were sad. “Everyone. Anyone who is left after the Armageddon.”  
“Armageddon. The last battle.” It was a heinous way to win a war, no matter what they did afterward. Dropping bombs and then rushing in, posing as saviors? Armageddon, indeed.  
“We have the right to take you from here in the name of the Empire.” Denar spoke slowly and calmly. “We don’t want to take anyone off Earth if they refuse to go. But we have a duty to protect everyone we can. Which is why we won’t let you stay underground, Susannah.”  
“You said there was chaos up above. Tragooms and worse.”  
“I did. There is. I’m very glad you’ve decided to come up and go to the refugee center. We can protect you there. If you waited, and came up alone, I’m afraid of what might happen to you. We might never find you.”  
“I see. So you just want me to go to a refugee camp?”  
“It is where we can best help Earthers. Kalquor is working on containing the radiation, but it’s clear that it’s just a stop-gap measure. The explosions were too vast and deadly. At the refugee centers, we have clean food and water and places to stay until people have sorted out what they want to do. We have medical facilities.” Tynevek played with a fork. “I would like to see you safe, Susannah. You need to get away from Earth.”  
It sounded like they’d come prepared. Like they just wanted her to get processed as one of the casualties of war. Like they just wanted her to give up her world, her life, her purpose.  
Still, she smiled. She’d follow her plan. “I understand. I’ll go.”  
“Susannah, I--”   
A beeping came from Kyrnis’ belt, where he’d hooked a bulked-up com unit. He glanced at his clanmates, then pulled the unit off, thumbing the link button in one motion.  
A flow of crackling noises intermixed with a man’s deep voice came through the speaker. Kyrnis took the com and bolted for the stairs, heading down to his bigger com unit, Susannah guessed. She looked at the other two. “You should go with him. It’s probably important.”  
They rose but Tynevek gave her an anxious glance over his shoulder as they moved to the central stairway. She smiled again and then they were gone.   
“Well, how convenient. Just when I say I’m going with them, their friends call to say they’re on their way.”  
She shoved aside her plate, the omelet cold, her heart feeling colder. From what they had said, they were barely upset that their troops had bombed her planet. If, indeed, they were telling the truth.   
She went to the sink and sent the remains of her breakfast into the refuse and recycle systems. She shook her head.   
Well. Part One of her plan was in place. 

C7, S2  
Later that day, Kyrnis moved swiftly, securing the materials they needed to help dig their way out to meet their rescue team. He’d been working on a sonic penetration device, refining it so it could make almost surgical cuts in the rock, hoping to disturb as little earth as possible. It would help limit the chances they’d bring down another major slide or trigger a full cave-in. It was risky but the alternatives were explosives or brute force digging. Neither appealed. According to the communications he’d had so far, the outside team had some tools for earth moving and digging, but they needed to limit the amount of time they could be in the area, out in the open. Tragooms, gangs, opportunistic entities like Dantovonian traders, and rogue military were everywhere. The Earthers had been getting more daring about approaching and testing the defenses of the refugee center. The more the clan could do from the inside of the storehouse, the better for all.   
The Nobek mused over their situation and Susannah’s sudden change of heart regarding leaving the Collection. She’d been vehemently resistant, Denar had said, even defiant, before she’d run away from him and locked herself in her quarters. He hadn’t expected her to be so suddenly docile. The three men were in agreement: the Curator was plotting something. She was too unworldly to conceal it entirely from them, but she was a clever one and she might well have something in store, something her sharp mind had concocted to thwart them.   
He scowled as he swung around a landing and kept heading upward to the entrance on Level Two. She was so sweet and had become so important to him. He loved her. If she was planning something, it had to be something that went counter to them bringing her up to the surface and getting her to their base. She was lying about being ready to submit to their wishes and leave behind her beloved storehouse. She didn’t believe Denar, then, about Armageddon? Also, she didn’t trust them. That was what hurt. He didn’t see what else they could do to overcome her suspicions and make her understand they weren’t trying to destroy her precious life, but preserve it.   
He’d proposed a good, sound spanking and Denar had considered it, but he’d deemed it more likely to be counter-productive, especially as they were not her clan and she was not their Matara. That sort of dominance required trust on the part of all involved and it was plain that was not going to happen any time soon. Punishment within the clan was one thing. On an outsider? Not a good idea, as much as it seemed like Susannah deserved it. Kyrnis and Tynevek were still working on their own plan but they weren’t sure that it hadn’t been rendered null by Susannah’s sudden anger and then sly behavior. Denar was angrier still but he kept it tightly bottled. He’d decided to go along with her sham acquiescence and simply keep a sharp eye on her. He was determined to get her to the center as soon as possible, before she had time or opportunity to try any tricks.   
Tynevek met him in the kitchen area and handed him a protein bar. Kyrnis smiled his thanks.   
“You’re getting ready to blast?”  
Kyrnis nodded. “Denar’s in the passage now, or what’s left of the passage. We’re shoring up areas so we don’t end up with just another pile of rocks blocking our way in or out.”  
His Imdiko glanced at the door to the outside, then all around. He lowered his voice. “I don’t think Susannah’s around but I need to ask you about our other plan. Do you think we’ll have to implement it?”  
Kyrnis leaned a hip against the counter as he munched his snack and swallowed. “We may not have to, but I’m thinking we may want to implement it anyway.”  
Tynevek picked up the bottle of peppercorns he was using in a dish for evening meal. He sprinkled some in his palm as he considered. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. But it’s risky and it’s costly and we can’t undertake it without Denar’s approval.”  
“You think he’d disapprove?” Kyrnis knew Denar to be fair and generous, even though he could be strict. “It would benefit many.”  
“He might not see it that way. He might see it as another link to this place. Another thing to remind him of all we’ve been through.”  
“I suppose. He might think it’s something that will drag him back. We’re due to leave for home, soon.” Kyrnis finished his bar and reached for a cup for water. Tynevek handed him one with a thoughtful look.   
“I don’t think he regrets his time with Susannah. I think he’s going to feel her loss as much as we will, once we’re back at the center and she’s sent into the Matara unit.” Tynevek added wine to the sauce and stirred. “But maybe you’re right. She might not be enough to balance out the losses he feels.”  
Kyrnis went off to find his Dramok but his mind was still focused on what to do about Susannah. She hadn’t made a move yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. He wished Denar hadn’t blurted out the news of Armageddon to her in a fit of anger. When they tried to bring up the subject, she would evade it or just wave it away.   
“It doesn’t matter now, does it?” she’d asked. “We should just focus on getting out of here.”  
So, it was a waiting game. At least he had fitful communication with the outside units and they had a clear-cut objective. He’d throw his energy into getting through the rock and meet the incoming team as soon as possible.   
Denar gave him a nod as he approached. They’d been lucky to find materials left over from the storehouse’s construction. A stack of steel roof supports lay piled against one wall of the passage. Kyrnis put down the supplies he carried and went to take up one of the roof jacks. They were solid and heavy, which was good and he grinned as he put his back into hoisting and ratcheting the big cylinder into place. This was work that felt like work.   
“Put another of those into place behind me.” Denar spoke over his shoulder. “We’re going to have cut our way forward from here.”  
They worked the rest of the day, shoring and marking spots where they would apply the sonic drill. Kyrnis checked it again to be sure his work was sound. The last thing any of them wanted was to have the thing fail or misfire, not when their hopes were pinned on getting out of here. Even if Susannah was plotting, he would press on. He wanted air and sunlight and changing winds.  
But he also wanted a certain little Earther female. She’d stayed in her room all night and he’d been restless and unhappy without her soft body cuddled in among them. He knew it wasn’t only the sex he missed, though that was a sharp loss. He was in love. He’d been in love exactly twice before, with Denar, and then with Tynevek. He knew what love felt like. It was a slightly different sensation because his beloved was a female and an alien this time, but he had no doubts about his feelings. He loved Susannah and even the idea of being without her hurt.   
He wished he knew if his Dramok and his Imdiko felt the same. He would wager Tynevek was in love but his need to have a family was so powerful that he seemed willing to give her up once they got to the surface. It shocked him that his tender clanmate could set his feelings aside so simply, but he’d made his position clear. As for Denar, he was uncertain. Denar was ambitious, and since his mother had died quite suddenly, leaving his fathers bereft, he still considered himself responsible for his younger brother, Rejan. There was also the incident three years ago that had affected Denar so deeply. He was ready to shake off the dust of Earth and go home. Yet the way he looked at Susannah, the way he cared for her in a hundred small ways each day, the way he seemed more blissful while loving her than Kyrnis had ever seen him--all those things told him their Dramok was deeply engaged with the beautiful scholar.   
He and Denar finished for the day and went inside to shower and change for evening meal. He was not a complicated man, and patience was not his strongest trait, but he understood he must bide his time and see what came next. Denar had been patient and determined when he’d worked to get Kyrnis’ fathers to bless their clanning. He needed to learn from his clanmate and be ready when the moment came. He knew what had to be done to win his little beloved. Their Matara.   
He just hoped Susannah herself wouldn’t do something that would rob him of that chance. 

C7, S3  
The day arrived. All four inhabitants of the storehouse had labored and blasted and shoveled and picked their way up the passage toward the surface. Finally, they received a crisp, loud com and the outside team announced that they were within only a few yards from where the clan and Susannah stood, covered in dust in the newly-hewn corridor. They set to work with fresh energy, burrowing toward their goal as the others tunneled toward them.  
Susannah didn’t stop to consider what it would mean when they were through and the outside team came into the storehouse. More strangers, outsiders in her storehouse. She couldn’t think or she’d be overwhelmed with fears, doubts, and fantasies. She had to stay present, take things as they came, and watch for the opportunity to carry out her plan.   
The command came for them to step back and allow the last of the rock to fall before a squad of Kalquorians, dusty, sweating, and armed with both tools and weapons. Clan Denar greeted them with joy. The newcomers gazed around them in astonishment.   
The man in the lead was stocky, with a scarred face that hinted at many battles. Probably a Nobek? He stared at Denar. “You dug all this way? I should have known. I always said you were crazy as a cuthla bug, Denar.”  
Denar gave a tight grin. “We knew you lot were too weak to dig in any farther than this, Larsa.”   
“Insults? For your rescuers?” The other man seemed affable but Tynevek stepped in nonetheless.   
“Come and rest. We have plenty and it’s time for a meal.” He turned to Susannah and nodded for her to lead the way.   
Kyrnis took her arm. “No, little one. I know it’s your home, but this is newly-cut. I will go first in case anything’s fallen up the line.”  
She shrugged and let him go ahead. The newcomers numbered eight in all, all of them tall, muscular, and dark like Clan Denar, all of them wearing the blue or red piping on their formsuits denoting that they were Dramoks or Nobeks. She studied them casually as they filed into the entry at Level Two. A few of them were good-looking, but they didn’t surpass the Kalquorians she’d been with over the past weeks. None of them had Denar’s keen eyes or Kyrnis’ massive chest or Tynevek’s overall gorgeousness. They all bowed to her, formally, and while she caught them shooting glances her way, they were careful not to confront or stare at her. Tynevek had told her some more about the protocol in their rescue units but she had listened with only half an ear. It didn’t matter.   
She helped Tynevek and Kyrnis get the midday meal on the table while the rest went to clean up after their day of digging. They trooped into the dining area, their dark hair slicked back, their expressions both wondering and deferential, then Susannah and the other two cooks hurried downstairs to get showered and changed. Susannah made sure her demeanor was meek and calm as she officially welcomed the team to the storehouse.   
The leader of the group, Larsa, bowed to her again as they took their seats around the table. “Your home is amazing, Matara. I spoke with a fellow who worked for the old Smithsonian museums and he was very reluctant to say what happened to many articles from those collections. I’m guessing some of them came here?”  
Susannah smiled briefly. “I wouldn’t know. We don’t ask. We just collect and store.”  
Denar gave her a look so sharp it might cut glass. “You’re too modest, Curator Talcott.” He turned to Larsa and nodded in her direction. “Matara Susannah knows every inch of this place and something about everything in it. She is a fine scholar with a prodigious memory.”  
She felt her cheeks warm at his praise but she didn’t want to talk about the Collection with a stranger. Who knew what he might choose to do with that information?  
“Do you think anyone saw you?” Kyrnis asked.   
“It’s always possible,” said another man, who sat to the right of Larsa. “But we went in under cover of night, and didn’t do any heavy drilling or make any substantial noise or vibrations until we were well into the passage you laid out for us.”  
“Good. We’ll need to do the same on the trip up, of course.”  
“We plan to do the same in reverse.”  
The conversation turned to more general news about what was going on at the refugee camp. Susannah listened in silence. She might need to know more about the place, but she hoped she would not. After the meal, several of the men swept all the clearing and cleaning out of her hands and finished the job with lightning speed. Then, they all trooped into the meeting room on Level Five to talk with Denar and his clan and plan for the move. Susannah meant to head down to her room to read and make a few more plans, but she had to pass the meeting room. She hovered, out of sight from the open door.   
“But why did it take so long?” she heard Denar ask. “Where were you?”  
Larsa responded. “At first, it was a report that there were Earther raiders in the area and we didn’t want to lead them to you. Soon after, we were called in to make a major rescue that resulted in a firefight. We took the evacuees back to base, made our reports. When we learned you hadn’t returned or contacted base, I filed a flight plan to come back here to find you.”  
“But that doesn’t sound like weeks.” Kyrnis’ voice was sharp.   
“It wasn’t. Or it shouldn’t have been. But our chief of security was hard pressed with fights and rescues cropping up all over, several a day. He kept most teams on base, on notice so they could fly immediately rather than have to be called in from the field.”  
Denar’s spoke flatly. “In other words, we weren’t important enough to warrant a rescue when so many Earthers needed rescuing.”  
“I wouldn’t say that. After all, we lost one of our top teams when you three went missing. But it took a long time to get clearance and no one had heard from you. Security was ready to mark you absent without leave or missing in action.”  
Susannah blinked. Their superiors had given them up for dead, essentially?  
Larsa continued. “Finally, I went over some heads and asked the Commander himself. He gave us permission to scout out and find you. When we got close enough, we began to pick up your signals.”  
“We owe you. Thanks for your efforts. And your faith.” Denar sounded weary.   
“No thanks necessary. You and your clan have backed all of us many times. We weren’t going to leave you behind.”  
Susannah became aware that she needed to get away before they found her eavesdropping. Carefully, she backed up and took another route to the stairwell, then went to her own room.   
So, they been here all this time because their people were fighting as much or more than they were rescuing? War. War was still going on.   
They had been lying, after all.   
Her plan was good. Necessary. She would keep her vow. Later that night, just as she was drowsing, she heard a soft knock at her door. She hit the announce and Tynevek spoke over the unit. “Susannah. I would like to say good night. Will you let me in?”  
She debated. She didn’t want him to weaken her resolve. She wasn’t kidding herself about how deeply she still cared about all three of the men. But she needed to go along to get what she needed, so she buzzed him in.   
“Are you well, sweetling?”  
Damn. She wished he wouldn’t call her that, especially not in his soft, velvety-dark voice. She nodded, stiffly. “Yes. I’m fine. I’m just a little overwhelmed by so many people here.” That was certainly true. It had been a long time since the rest of the storehouse workers had died.   
Tynevek came to sit on the edge of her bed. His smile was kind. “I can imagine.” His eyes narrowed. “No one has behaved inappropriately, have they?”  
“No. They have been nothing but gentlemanly.” She folded her hands in her lap, waiting for him to speak.   
“Are you angry with us, Susannah?” He tilted his head, his brows drawn down. “It’s been a busy few days with the digging and so forth. We don’t mean to neglect you.”  
“You haven’t. It’s...it’s hard to get used to the idea that I’m leaving the storehouse. It’s my only home.”  
He reached out and stroked a hand over her hair. “I see. You are very brave to face your future this way. We are grateful that you trust us enough to look to your safety.”  
She fought to not lean into that hand. The Imdiko was so comforting and while he’d concealed the truth from her, he’d been nothing but kind and friendly toward her. She’d even fancied he loved her, a little. She couldn’t allow herself the luxury of those fantasies, however. She couldn’t let herself be carried off by his nearness, his scent, his wonderful warmth. She could hold out against her desires.   
She shifted away from him. “Are the rest of your friends settled for the night? Do they need anything?”  
“They brought their own gear and have taken up quarters on Level Five, in the meeting room. They can hardly believe this amazing place. They’ve been asking if you would give them an official tour in the morning, before we begin putting things away and covering them up.”  
Her wonderful collection, boxed up and covered in sheeting tarps, untended. Susannah’s resolve strengthened. That wasn’t what the Collection had been created for, not by a long chalk.   
“I’d be happy to.” She gave him a wan smile. “But I’m tired now. We did a lot of digging today.” She rolled a shoulder that was legitimately sore.   
“Let me massage it for you.”  
She held up a hand. The minute he touched her, she’d be lost. She knew that much. “Thank you, no. I had a hot shower and took a mild pain tablet. I’m just sleepy.”  
He looked at her for a long moment. Then, he nodded and rose to leave. “You have only to call us, sweet girl. We will come to help you, no matter what.”  
You just won’t let me do what I have to do. She smiled again. “Thank you. Good-night, Imdiko.”  
He looked a bit startled by her refusal to use his proper name, only his title. She didn’t care. It established the distance she needed between them. He turned and left in silence. She sagged a little. That hadn’t been fun. Tynevek was a caring person.  
It didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting on with it.   
After a cursory tour in the morning, the Kalquorians worked at their usual blurring speed, boxing and crating and covering artifacts according to her directions. Larsa consulted often with her and watched to see that his men followed her dictates. They took meticulous, almost reverent care of everything, and were keeping detailed manifests with many vids of the contents of every level, every room, every shelf and drawer. She couldn’t fault them on any of it. If she had to do this job, she would have done the same.   
It took them three days to button down and seal up the Collection. How many decades had it taken to collect it all? Susannah wandered through the levels on the morning of that third day, seeing no more displays. No geodes or medieval swords. No rocker beds or gym equipment. No vids of her parents. No romance novels or displays of the outside world. Today, she would go out into that world, in company of aliens. She’d never dreamed this might be the way things would go.   
Still. She turned, and strode back to her rooms, where her simple pack and one wooden box held the few possessions she would take with her.   
“You won’t need much and there’s not much space at the center for extras.” Tynevek had advised her how to pack. “We have a great many things we’ve brought with us and bought from traders. You will be comfortable, Susannah.”   
Now, she hoisted her backpack over one shoulder and took the wooden box up under her arm. She closed her door and quietly walked up the stairs to join the men gathered at the entrance to the living area. Kyrnis reached to take her things but she smiled and raised her hand. “It’s all right. I can manage, thanks.”  
She avoided looking at Denar and allowed Tynevek to guide her into the middle of the group. She looked back over her shoulder, then faced the opening door. Time to travel.   
Larsa led the way into the tunnel, with another Dramok beside him. Kyrnis followed them and Denar and Tynevek flanked Susannah. The rest of the men filled in behind. Denar had insisted everyone in his group also wear protective head gear mounted with lights and the men carried extra tunneling equipment from the storehouse in their packs. Three men in Larsa’s group carried torches so their way was lit. She marched on in silence, though the men talked softly in the echoing passage.   
“You are sad to be leaving.” Tynevek nodded to her.   
“Of course.”  
“I am sorry, Matara. But I’m glad you’re going to be safe.”  
She only nodded. She had to be on the watch as they at last drew up to the narrow entrance hewn into the side of the hill above the storehouse. At Larsa’s signal, everyone flicked off their lights. She felt a moment’s panic at the immediate, enveloping dark but she felt a strong hand in hers.   
“I can see, Susannah. Kalquorian eyesight, you know.” Denar’s voice was soft. “Just stay close.”  
“All right.” She allowed the Dramok to conduct her forward and help her over the threshold. Then, she was outside. 

C17, S4  
Outside. Above ground.  
She drew in a long breath. The air was so different! There was a slight breeze that stirred her around her and brought with it scents she vaguely recalled from that last, long-ago trip outside. It was nighttime. There were stars overhead that lent a bit of light and gave shape to the woods that began just a few yards away.   
“Are you all right?” Tynevek asked, touching her shoulder.  
“I’m fine. I just...I just need to adjust.”  
“I can believe it.” Kyrnis was there with them as they waited for the rest of the party to come up out of the tunnel. “Even I can feel the difference after so short a time. This feels good.”  
“We need to make for the trees,” Larsa said to Denar and the others. “In a group, Matara Susannah in the middle across the open area. Stay close.”  
The group formed a tight unit and Susannah was hemmed in among the tall men. She couldn’t see where they were going. All she could see was the dark shapes of the Kalquorians and the sky above. She moved when Tynevek placed a hand at the small of her back.   
The ground was rough and she almost stumbled but both Tynevek and Denar supported her. She wished they weren’t hovering over her but then again, she knew if they weren’t she’d likely be on her face in the dirt. There had been only a few times she had walked on the surface of Earth. She made an effort to walk more carefully.   
Where were they going? They were supposed to have a shuttle, weren’t they? Why wasn’t it nearby?  
“The transport unit is a mile off.” As if he’d heard her questions, Larsa spoke, his voice was almost as soft as the breeze. “They’ve been having trouble with raiders and they didn’t want to lead them here.”  
They kept moving through the dark. She knew the Kalquorians were quiet and sure-footed but out here, on the rough terrain, she still heard no footfalls. They seemed to defy their own physiques, she thought. Such heavy men should sound like drums on the earth as they moved. What sort of training did they go through to become such skillful trackers?  
She sighed to herself. They were so fascinating. She had to curb her curiosity and concentrate on where they were taking her.   
They reached the line of the trees and some of the group fanned out, still leaving a tight ring around her. The spice of the trees and dank smell of earth was especially strong. Her senses were alight with her new surroundings; so new and exciting it was hard to resist stopping to touch, to memorize. The Kalquorians were relentless, however. They wove among the tree-trunks, heads turning, watching for danger at every second.   
Larsa spoke into his com. He spoke Kalquorian, guttural and rapid. Then he turned to Kyrnis beside him, speaking English. “They’ve had to move. Another mile, three marks south. We need to bear right.”  
Larsa and Kyrnis motioned to the others and the company began to turn.   
“Why did they have to move?” She couldn’t help it. She had to know.   
“Not sure. Possibly raiders. Could be anything.” Denar touched her arm. “We’re all right, sweetling.”  
She looked just in time to see Larsa grin at the pet name. He immediately hid it but he seemed very amused.   
They walked on, ducking under low lying branches and through underbrush that the men quietly pushed aside for Susannah to pass. She wore what Tynevek had advised, a long-sleeved black top and dark jeans with her work boots. He’d made her cover her hair with the knit cap she’d worn the first day they’d found her. He’d smiled and said he should probably dirty up her face a bit, too, but he felt they’d be all right for such a short trip.   
It wasn’t just a short trip, though. A snapped message on Larsa’s com had all of the men drawing closer.   
“They had to pull off.” Larsa’s tone was calm but Susannah thought he sounded concerned. “We’re to stay on course but wait in the trees until we hear from them.”  
They walked for another stretch, then Larsa called a halt. “This is as near as we can get.” He pointed ahead and Susannah could just make out a brighter light through the trees. Moonlight?  
He set up a watch and the rest of the group hunkered down, taking short sips from their water flasks. Kyrnis stood over her, with Denar at his side. Tynevek helped her sit beside him, offering her a drink which she took with gratitude.   
“How are you doing, little one?” Kyrnis’ eyes never left off their constant scanning.   
“Fine. I hope your friends are okay.”  
Tynevek patted her hand. “They know what they’re doing. Don’t worry, sweet.”  
She wasn’t worried. Not exactly. What she really felt was excitement. She had to stay alert. Everything depended on the right moment.   
She heard Kyrnis sniff. “Fuck. Someone’s coming.”  
Larsa spoke over his shoulder. “Earthers. Get ready.”  
The men were already up and taking stances in a circle around her and Tynevek. The Imdiko had doffed his pack and helped her off with hers. She knew he was making ready to run if he had to and he was probably going to take her with him. She bit her lip. She hadn’t anticipated they would be stuck out here, so vulnerable.   
She finally heard the footsteps that were hurrying toward them. No silent footfalls for this bunch. The Kalquorians raised their weapons. She looked up to see Kyrnis’ eyes glittering in the starlight. Denar had a formidable knife in one hand and he looked more like a predator than ever, ready for the kill. She peered at Tynevek. He, too, had a knife but he kept his free hand at her waist. Most of the others had blasters of some sort. She gulped. They were ready for battle and this was not Kalquorian play. No swords, no silliness. They were ready to fight anyone who made the wrong move in their direction. The people they would be facing were Earthers, her own kind. She, who’d never really been a part of the wider world, still felt a certain horror that these formidable aliens were going to fight and likely kill her own people.   
Then again, would Earthers trust a woman who was in the company of the enemy? She was every bit their target, as much as the aliens gathered around her.  
There was a silence. No doubt the approaching Earthers had seen them and called a halt. The tension in the men around her made the air tremble, it seemed. She braced herself, unsure if she should hold her ground or be ready to run. Somehow, irrationally, she thought she was supposed to do both.   
The silence was shattered by a yell that rose to a hideous shriek. Then came the sound of running feet, a snapped command from Larsa, and then they were upon them. Earthers, men, were attacking with blasters and clubs and knives. They were ragged and filthy and scrawny but they came on like feral dogs, launching themselves from the shelter of the trees into the tiny clearing where Susannah’s party stood ready. The first shoo-wup sounds of blaster fire assaulted her ears, and the Kalquorians were fighting back with all they had. She stared, stunned as Kyrnis neatly sliced open the neck of one man who raced toward the center of the group. Toward her. Tynevek held her tighter, staying behind the sheltering aliens, but still ready to fight. She saw Denar take out two men with blaster shots that disintegrated their upper bodies in rain of gore. With a shriek, she buried her face in Tynevek’s chest, clinging to him. Never in all her life had she imagined anything like this. Nothing, no vid, no report, no story could recreate the horror of living beings being blasted into nothingness.   
She peeked out. One of the Earthers threw a knife and caught one of the rescue unit right in the neck. The Kalquorian dropped like a stone. It left a hole in front of her and the Imdiko and she went rigid. Larsa was struggling with two men while Denar and Kyrnis fended off three others. How many more were there? The Earthers seemed to pour out from the trees like ants boiling up out of a hole. They couldn’t possibly hold them off.   
“Tynevek, get her out of here!”   
Denar didn’t have to repeat it. Tynevek had her in his arms and was off, through a break in the Earther lines, running faster than Susannah could see. Everything blurred as the Imdiko rushed her out of the fighting and into the depths of the woods.   
“Tynevek! We can’t leave them!”  
“Denar knows what to do.”  
That was an answer? What if they were all killed or taken prisoner? What would happen? Was this part of the war or was this as the clan had told her, part of the horrific aftermath of a devastating explosion?   
Tynevek ran for what seemed like miles to her, never stopping, never flagging, never stumbling. At long last he slowed and listened. Far in the distance, she heard faint sounds of blaster fire. She clung to his neck, waiting.   
“We’ll stay here for now.” He let her down gently, then pulled her in again for a long hug. She had to hug him back, despite her efforts to stay clear. That had been harrowing.   
“Are you all right?” They asked it in unison.   
“You first.” Tynevek was already feeling her over, at once her doctor, checking for injuries.   
“I’m fine. You?”  
“Fine, sweet one, thank you.”  
“Who were those men?”  
“I’m not sure. There are many thieves and gangs roving the area. The storehouse is far enough out from any city that it is relatively free of direct battle damage. There is still game in the woods and...other things to hunt.”  
“You mean Kalquorians?”  
He gave a noncommittal shrug. She stepped away and rested her back against a tree trunk. Tynevek remained on guard, watchful.   
“What will happen?” Her voice sounded very small.   
His beautiful face was hard. “My Dramok and my Nobek will fight. They’ll come and find us when it’s safe.”  
“You’re sure?”  
“I promise, Susannah. They love us both. If they cannot make it back, they will alert the rescue center. Someone will find us. I will make sure you are taken to safety.”  
She heard faint shouts, still distant. Tynevek turned his back to her, facing out, knife ready. How could the gentle Imdiko doctor fight and harm someone? What use was a knife against a blaster?  
She soon learned. A lone Earther came out of the trees, fleeing the fight. When he saw Tynevek, he hesitated but a second before leaping at him. Tynevek seemed to dive, roll, jump up from behind, grabbing the man in mid-air. The Imdiko’s fangs were out as he sank the knife into the man’s ribs. The attacker sagged and Tynevek dropped him to the forest floor. He stood over the man’s bleeding form, his eyes flat with fury, chest heaving.   
Susannah cringed when he met her eyes. Almost instantly, he changed, becoming once more the man she knew. “No, Susannah. Don’t be afraid. It’s all right. I needed to stop him.”  
He dropped to a squat and checked the man’s pulse. It was clear to Susannah the fellow was gone before he hit the ground. Tynevek lifted the lifeless form and tossed it away, out of sight. He came striding back to her and put his hand beneath her chin. He had sheathed his fangs.  
“I’m sorry you had to see that. To see any of this. But I swear, we will fight to the death to protect you.”  
She nodded. He turned and began to watch once more. She felt tremors start and she fought against them. This was no time to be a ninny. She had to survive and no matter what happened, she would be forever grateful to the Imdiko who guarded her.  
A whistle sounded and Tynevek stood ready again. This time it was Denar, Kyrnis, Larsa, and three others who came through the trees. The moon was rising and Susannah had to swallow against the horror that rose in her when she saw the dark stains on their hands, their clothing, their, oh god, their faces. Blood. The knives they carried bore the same dark stains.   
But they ran easily, not as if someone was in pursuit. Kyrnis grinned when he saw them. “My Imdiko, you must have outrun every champion on Kalquor, including the great Imdiko Anep. Good work. Susannah, you are well?”  
“I am.” She was hugging herself to keep from shaking but she was all right. “Thanks to Tynevek. He had to kill someone.”  
“You’re all right, Tynevek?” Denar was with them in a flash.   
“He tried to jump me. From in front.”  
To Susannah’s shock, Denar hooted with laughter. “What an idiot!” He grinned at Susannah. “Did he show you some of his dancing?”  
“He--he--I don’t know what he did. Somehow the man attacked from in front and Tynevek grabbed him from behind...” She faltered, seeing Kyrnis match Denar’s grin and slap the Imdiko on the shoulder.   
“My Imdiko is one in a million, little one.” He grew serious. “Thank you for taking good care of her, my clanmate.”  
Tynevek nodded. “And the other Earthers?”  
“We got all but two and those ran like desert irhats when they realized they were the last ones left.” Denar gestured to Larsa. “We thought it best to let them go and find you two before Tynevek ran all the way to the western coastline.”  
Larsa nodded and walked away, speaking into his com unit. Denar suddenly reached out and grabbed Susannah. He hugged her fiercely, his powerful chest heaving. He let her go almost as quickly as he’d grabbed her, then stepped away to talk to Larsa.   
Kyrnis didn’t seem to care for simple hugs. He swept her up and kissed her so soundly, she worried for their teeth. He set her down and, like Denar, was again all business.   
“Here.” Tynevek was holding out a nutrition bar to her. She took it and chewed it slowly, then allowed him to give her a drink. When she was finished, he smiled and seemed relieved. Denar came back from conferring with Larsa.   
“We’ll settle here for the night. The shuttle was pinned down and barely made it out. Then they had to swing back around to pick up some Mataras who were trapped in an old barn. Bastards had set it on fire.”  
Susannah grimaced. This was war, she reminded herself. This was life above. Tynevek was already unpacking his small kit. He shook out a thin thermal blanket and then rolled up another one, making a bed on some of thickest areas of pine duff. “Here, Susannah. Come and lie down. Sleep. We’ll be on guard.”  
“I doubt I can sleep.” She went to the makeshift bed. Tynevek raised his brows and glanced down. He was in dominant doctor mode and would brook no rebellion. She stretched out on the duff and Tynevek lifted one end of the blanket over her.  
“We’ll be right here. The shuttle should be here by morning.”  
She settled in and waited. Her mind was whirling. She recalled something Kyrnis had taught her: when entering a dangerous place, always make sure you know where the exits are located. She almost snorted. Exits? In the woods? Anyone’s guess.  
She couldn’t believe all she’d seen tonight. One thing was certain: something terrible had happened on Earth. The men who’d attacked them looked savage, as if they’d been living like animals for who knew how long. Tynevek, her beautiful, gentle, kindly doctor, had killed a man before her eyes. If he hadn’t, she knew the man would not have spared her anything. Tynevek had saved her life. All the men had.   
Still, would any of this have happened if Kalquor had left well enough alone? Maybe they had won the war, but why didn’t they just go home? Why did they insist she and others come with them to their so-called rescue center? They had protected her like she was precious, valuable, but really, wasn’t she just the spoils of war?  
If she went on like this, she would scare herself silly. She tried to rest her mind. She thought of the storehouse and in her mind she walked through it, visiting her favorite places. She relaxed but she did not sleep. She would not sleep. She had to be on the watch.  
She woke suddenly, dismayed she’d fallen asleep, after all. She listened, heard nothing. It was still dark but she thought she saw the faintest bit of light through the trees. It was nearing daybreak. She sat up, cautiously.   
Tynevek lay beside her, eyes closed. His chest rose and fell peacefully. She glanced around and made out the shape of three aliens standing guard at the perimeter of the clearing. The others sat or leaned against trees, resting. She started to stand and Tynevek was up and beside her in an instant. She smiled and leaned in toward him.   
“I need to urinate.” She actually did, so it wasn’t a lie. “I’m just going to duck behind that tree.”  
“I will go with you.”  
She blinked. “No, it’s not proper.”  
“I’m a doctor. I’ve seen everything. I’ll avert my eyes but I have to be with you.”  
She grimaced and sank back down to the ground. “I’ll wait then. They said the shuttle should be here this morning, yes?”  
Tynevek frowned. “You should take the time to relieve yourself, stubborn one. It’s not healthy to wait.”  
She fluttered her hands. “I--I’m sorry. It’s how I was raised. It’s not proper for Earthers to urinate in front of others. Some of us...some of us can’t if we’re not alone.”  
He stared at her, biting his lower lip. Then, he nodded. “That tree there. No further.”  
“All right.”   
She rose and headed for the tree. If nothing else, this little venture would give her a chance to check the nav unit she had tucked in her pants pocket. Judging from the faint sunlight, she knew which way was east, but she wasn’t sure how far Tynevek had carried her away from the fighting. Plus, she seriously did need to pee.   
She relived herself and then took advantage of the moment to check the nav. It told her which way was home. There was a yell from the opposite side of the camp. She made her decision. The time was now.   
She ran. 

C7, S5  
Tragooms.   
Kyrnis despised them. Any civilized being with a nose and eyes would be revolted by them. Anyone who knew their nature would loathe them. They were massive, pig-snouted creatures, covered in armored plates so tough sometimes even blasters couldn’t penetrate except at point-blank range. Often, one could only hope to wound the things, stopping them just long enough to run away. They stank of blood and waste and the ancients only knew what else, and they were fearless fighters. Aggressive and vicious, they were known to rape and eat all of those they caught, dead or alive. In a hand to hand fight, they had to be taken out fast, aiming for the two tenderest areas of their bodies, the eyes and the groin.   
That they were even this close to his Matara made him cold with rage. He charged ahead as they came through the trees, fifteen of the bastards, all of them armed and putrid. He got in as close as possible, raised his blaster and blew the head off the first monster to enter the clearing. Satisfaction and blood lust rose with him. Then, the battle was on. All around him, the Kalquorians fought with the hog-faced invaders. He took note of where Denar fought beside Larsa and redoubled his efforts. A Tragoom blaster blew his own weapon out of his hand and Kyrnis dropped back for a second, glad to note his hand was uninjured. He drew his long-knife and ran for his attacker, launching into the stinking mass, aiming for the thing’s eyes. He was deflected with a blow from one mighty arm. The Nobek slammed to the ground, seeing stars that were immediately replaced by the sight of the Tragoom looming over him, raising his weapon. Kyrnis let him come in closer, then he shoved his knife up and into the creature’s groin. The Tragoom squealed, then pitched forward with a grunt. Before he could scramble clear, it toppled onto Kyrnis like a falling building, knocking the wind out of the Kalquorian. Kyrnis almost regretted his returning breath as the bastard did what all Tragooms did upon death, their final answer to their enemies: it evacuated its bowels all over him.   
Kicking and shoving, Kyrnis tried to get out from under the monster. Finally, he felt the dead Tragoom being lifted and he looked up to see Denar and another Kalquorian hauling the body off of him.   
“Holy mother of us all!” Denar flashed a grin. “You might just be able to kill someone with that smell, my Nobek!”  
Kyrnis didn’t have time to respond. He grabbed Denar’s blaster and shot the Tragoom that was racing up behind his Dramok. It blew up in midair, raining body parts and organs over the whole area. Denar’s eyes were wide for a moment, then he pointed to the left. “That one’s mine!”  
He dove back into the battle, knife in hand. Kyrnis pitched himself clear of the dead Tragoom’s body and braced himself to fire. The battle raged. He saw another Kalquorian go down. He made himself go icy as he aimed and took out the beast who’d attacked his comrade. More Tragoom bits showered everywhere but still they came on. Had there been more of them hiding in the trees?  
He fought his way toward the spot where Tynevek and Susannah had been resting. He was relieved to see that neither of them was in sight. More than likely, at the first sign of trouble, his Imdiko had taken the Matara and run.   
But what if there had been more of the Tragoom raiding party in the trees beyond? What if they had--  
He didn’t have time to complete the thought as a trio of grunting Tragooms bolted toward him. He stood his ground and fired. Larsa joined him and together they shot two dead and wounded the other. The beast turned and ran. Kyrnis went after it. If Tynevek and Susannah were out there, it might be headed straight for them. Wounded or not, he wasn’t allowing anything to happen to his mates. He stormed into the woods, marveling at how quickly the thing could run, even wounded.   
The sounds of the fight were growing softer. The thing led him a merry chase. Finally, something barreled out of the trees and a tall figure literally ran up the front of the Tragoom, halting it. The creature swung out but the man was gone, already on its other side. It swung again, got only air. The man ran up its back this time, kicking it in the head. It staggered, enraged, and Kyrnis took aim. He fired and made a clean kill, separating the Tragoom’s piggy head from its massive body. It fell without a sound, but with another mighty stink.   
Tynevek stepped around it, waving his hand to ward off the stench. His Imdiko wasn’t even breathing hard. Kyrnis lowered his blaster and grinned at his lifemate.   
“Thank you, my Imdiko. I wasn’t ready to chase him all the way back to the storehouse.”  
Tynevek’s handsome features were dark. Kyrnis glanced around. Speaking of the storehouse… He felt his heart seize.   
“Where’s Susannah?”  
Tynevek raised a hand. “She’s missing. She disappeared just before the Tragooms attacked.” His voice was edged with both fury and fear.  
Kyrnis snarled. “There are more Tragooms around. Did they take her?”  
“I don’t know. She needed to urinate. She went behind a tree for privacy. Kyrnis, I’m sorry. I let her go.”  
His Imdiko looked like he was ready to slit his own wrists in guilt, but there was no time for further talk. Kyrnis swung the blaster onto his shoulder. “We have to get to Denar.”  
They raced back to the clearing. The Tragoom Kyrnis had followed had led him far afield. They reached the area just as Larsa took out the last, squealing attacker.   
“Kyrnis, you should--” Denar stopped in mid-sentence. “Where is Susannah?”  
Tynevek explained, quickly. Denar’s face went stony. He turned to Larsa. “Two groups. One to the west, one southwest. Send a com to transport and to the base.” He turned to Tynevek. “Lead the way.”  
Their Imdiko didn’t hesitate. He flew ahead of them, plunging into the trees at the edge of the clearing. Kyrnis took after him, Denar at his side. His mind raced with questions and fears but he fought them back. He called on his strength as a warrior: a cold detachment that would allow him to see the fight that was before him.  
If Tragooms had taken Susannah, they shouldn’t be hard to track. They were heavy, smelly, and careless. Broken branches and crushed undergrowth would show where they’d gone. He bent down even as he ran, trying to pick up Susannah’s sweet scent, the scent he now knew as well as he knew Denar’s or Tynevek’s. There was nothing, only stench.   
“They might be carrying her.” Denar’s voice reflected his own icy rage.   
Kyrnis grunted his agreement as they raced along. Tynevek was not as strong at tracking as he and Denar, but his Imdiko had the will to do anything it took to care for the ones he loved. He was being driven by both his guilt at losing Susannah but also his instincts as a male seeking his mate. He didn’t even pause to wonder at that word: mate. He let the Imdiko lead. It gave him time to grow calmer still, to wait until he knew what he was dealing with so he could accurately plan a strategy.   
Abruptly, the trail ended and a familiar clearing lay before them. Tynevek slowed and crisscrossed the area before them. Denar joined him.   
“Nothing.” Tynevek looked to Kyrnis. “Can that be?”  
Kyrnis looked around. There was an indentation in the grasses just to their left. A big one. He wanted to swear but held his calm. He pointed.  
“Their ship.”  
They all looked to the skies. Clear as any spring morning. No sign of Tragooms, no sign of an enemy ship. No sign of Susannah. Tynevek gave a soft, agonized groan.  
Kyrnis twisted suddenly. Scowling, he traced over a small area not far from where the ship had rested. “Denar.” He motioned for the Dramok to join him.   
Denar’s face changed at once. He trotted over, his brows rising. “How long ago?”  
“She passed this way not more than an hour ago, probably less.” Kyrnis swung about and shaded his eyes. “She was on her own.”  
“Headed back to the storehouse.” Tynevek had joined them.   
Denar groaned but nodded. “Let’s go.”  
Kyrnis took the lead this time. He kept the little Matara’s scent and there were spots where it mingled with the scent of his own mates and other Kalquorians.   
“She’s headed back the way we came out.”  
“What the rancid fuck is she thinking?” Denar didn’t require an answer, he knew. Kyrnis knew, too. Susannah had run back to be with her beloved Collection. She had thrown dust in all their eyes. They upped their pace.   
“This was what she was planning. Why the hell didn’t I see it?”  
“You couldn’t have known she’d be so foolish.” Tynevek’s voice was soft.   
“I should have known. She gave in too easily. I did this. I forced her hand.” Their Dramok ground out the words.  
Kyrnis didn’t respond. There wasn’t time to worry over blame or anything else. He’d caught another scent on the trail. He came to a sudden halt, glancing all around.   
“Tragoom.”   
“Only one?” Denar came to his side.   
“That’s all I can sense right now. Who knows where the rest of them are.” Because Tragooms didn’t travel alone, Kyrnis knew.   
Denar squatted and studied the ground. He sniffed deeply. “The Tragoom scent is earlier than Susannah’s. It or they were ahead of her.”  
Some of Kyrnis’s calm drained away. “They went to the storehouse.”  
“We have to go.” Tynevek was ready to run. Kyrnis stopped him.   
“Wait. We can’t go in without knowing what we’re facing. It could be there are others hiding in the shadows and hollows around the storehouse. We need to fan out.”  
“I’m going in after her.”  
“No, my Imdiko, you’re not. You are fast and you’re strong, but you’re not equipped to fight a pack of Tragooms.” Kyrnis squinted at the land around them. “Denar, you take the right, Tynevek, the left. I’m going through. You know how to signal if you see them coming.”  
Denar was already on his com, messaging Larsa, who was still at the clearing in the woods. Tynevek gave Kyrnis a look that said he was not allowed to get himself killed, on pain of his doctor’s loving wrath. Then he ran, as only his Imdiko could run: fast, light, graceful.   
“Keep comming,” Denar said, touching Kyrnis’ shoulder. “I want you to be in touch the whole time.”  
“Can’t promise that.”  
“I know. But do your damnedest.” Denar kissed him swiftly, then ran.   
The kiss almost undid him, but a moment later, it bolstered Kyrnis’ intent. He was going to rescue their stubborn, beloved Matara. The woman he knew without doubt his clanmates adored, in the way that they adored him. They’d always been the best part of him. He would rescue their love or die in the attempt.   
If he did make it out alive with her, he was going to paddle her pretty little ass until she couldn’t remember a time when she could sit without using a gel-cushion.   
He raced for the spot where the entry was hidden. He pulled his blaster free of its hook as he ran. He reached the place where all this had begun and slowed, looking all around for enemy presence. He scented nothing new but it was clear both Susannah and one or more Tragooms had crossed the threshold recently.   
He almost cursed aloud. The hatch into Level Two was open. Susannah wouldn’t have gone into the storehouse and left the front door wide. She’d almost shot him for entering, hadn’t she?  
He moved silently, allowing his eyes to quickly adjust to the gloom. He tried to recall if the piggy little eyes of a Tragoom were as strong as his in darkness. Nothing came up so he erred on the side of caution and went still more slowly.   
There was a grunt from the Tunnel up ahead. The scent was suddenly close. Kyrnis crept forward, easing around a curve just enough to see.   
His spine straightened. Susannah sat on the ground, just behind a boulder, one hand gripping her ankle, the other holding a piece of rebar that had been left behind by the excavation. He could see she was whole and breathing and terrified. Behind her, its snout testing the air, stood a monster Tragoom. The beast was in full hunting mode, right down to the grotesque erection tenting its loincloth. It was planning to rape and to feast as soon as it found the female it was scenting.   
The creature’s state was both good and bad for Kyrnis. Good, because it might be so focused on finding Susannah that it might not see or smell him coming. Bad, because its arousal would make it even wilder to attack anyone interfering with its plans. One mistake and he and Susannah were both lost.  
It had to be done. Kyrnis slid out of his hiding place and faced his target.


	8. Chapter 8

ALIEN RESCUE—Fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER EIGHT

C8, S1  
Susannah held her breath, fearing even the smallest sound would alert the Tragoom to her presence. She had dashed into the tunnel with no thought but to get to the entry to Level Two, go inside and never let another living being trick her into coming out again. When she saw the huge, dark shape in the lone torchlight left by the Kalquorians, she had almost shrieked. She dove off the path, hitting a rock with her foot and twisting her ankle. She didn’t think it was badly injured but it throbbed, making her bite her lip and wince as she clutched it. She expected to hear the thundering footsteps of the creature coming for her.   
She glanced around and found a piece of iron bar leaning against the rock where she was hiding. It wasn’t much, but it was a weapon. She would fight for her life. It would be nicer if the ugly thing went on its way, out of the tunnel without finding her, but she was afraid the sound of her wildly pounding heart might give her away.   
Another shadow eased around a curve, just down the tunnel from where she hid. She swallowed the gasp that almost erupted from her. Kyrnis!  
Even in shadow, she knew his silhouette, the broad set of his shoulders. He eased back out of sight. Had he come after her to take her captive? Was he leaving? Would he give up on chasing her rather than face the Tragoom?   
Tears stung in her eyes. He and the rest of the clan were probably furious with her. She’d been a coward to run when they were fighting for their lives. For her life. She’d been such an idiot. She’d just acted on her own impulses rather than stop and analyze the situation. She was no scholar. She was a stupid, careless child.   
But she couldn’t give up on the Collection. Now others were paying the price.  
She saw Kyrnis again, peering out at the Tragoom. He had a blaster but could he get a shot that would kill that horror before it reached him?  
Kyrnis had always been her defender and champion. She had to do something to get him out of the tunnel before that slavering beast discovered his presence.   
Think, Susannah. Think before you act this time.   
She eased up into a squat, the iron bar in one hand. She counted to three, to give herself a boost of energy. Then she popped up from behind the rock and threw the bar with all her strength. It sailed past the Tragoom’s head. To her joy, the thing turned to see where it landed.   
“Susannah, down!”  
Kyrnis leapt from behind the rock and took aim. Before the Tragoom could grab for its own weapon, the Nobek blasted off its head. The echo of the shot rang around and around the tunnel.   
Then, there was another sound, softer but just as deadly in its implications. Rocks began to fall.   
Before she could blink, Kyrnis had her in his arms and was running back down the tunnel. She shrieked as she heard the roaring at their backs and the first sprays of gravel that started to rain down. Kyrnis ran like the wind but the collapse was massive and rapid. It seemed the whole length of the tunnel was coming down on their heads. She couldn’t even see the entrance for the growing cloud of dust and debris.   
Kyrnis raced on, dodging falling rock. The rumble of the cave-in grew like thunder rolling through a canyon. He placed a hand on her head, pushing her down so she was pressed against his chest as larger and larger rocks began to fall. They slammed into her body everywhere else she was exposed. She knew they were hammering at Kyrnis. Still he ran.   
Over the bellow of the oncoming tidal wave of earth, Susannah heard shouts. Kyrnis dug in, put on more speed, incredibly, and they flew toward the voices. Toward the entry. Then, they were out, into the clear. Kyrnis kept moving and the sound of the rocks followed at their heels.   
At long last, Kyrnis slowed. He came to a halt with her still clutched to his chest, his big heart thundering beneath the muscled surface. She couldn’t move and it didn’t seem as if he was going to let her go, anyway.   
“My Nobek, you’ve been hurt. Give her to Denar.” Tynevek’s voice was gentle but firm. “She’s safe now.”  
Kyrnis growled. “Tragooms?”   
“We’re clear for now. The shuttle should be here in minutes.”   
She felt Kyrnis loosen his hold and she was passed to Denar, who held her close in much the same way. She dared to peer up into his face. His eyes were locked onto his clanmates. She looked and saw Tynevek checking Kyrnis. He was covered in dust and there were multiple scrapes and scratches on his face, neck, arms and shoulders. He reeked of something eyewateringly awful. One eye was already beginning to swell shut.   
Her fault. If he hadn’t chased after her, he wouldn’t have been hurt. And she would have been slaughtered by a Tragoom.   
“I’m fine,” the Nobek rumbled. “Susannah’s hurt her ankle.”  
She almost groaned as Tynevek turned at once and came to examine her. She wanted to just hide. He didn’t meet her eyes but he treated her injury with his characteristic efficiency and gentleness. She winced as he wiggled her ankle.   
“Nothing broken. Might be a sprain. I’ll be able to treat it on the shuttle, or at the base, if necessary.”  
Her ears were still ringing from the collapsing tunnel, but she could hear a buzzing sound growing in the air. She followed Denar’s gaze up to the sky. A shining silver hover, four times the size of the few she’d ever seen, came smoothly over the trees and set down lightly in the center of the clearing. A Kalquorian transport shuttle. A hatch opened in its side and and a gangway was lowered. Larsa came out of the shuttle’s doorway and motioned to them.   
Denar took the lead. She wanted to protest that Kyrnis should go first, but the cold light in his eyes kept her lips sealed. She peeked over his shoulder. Rocks were still spilling out of the entrance to the storehouse. It was sealed now, too.   
Denar carried her up the gangway and into the shuttle. He carried her straight to the back of the large seating area behind the cockpit and placed her on a small cot set into the wall. Tynevek moved around him and had her shoe and sock off in a twinkling. She tried to shoo him away. “No, Tynevek. Kyrnis needs you.”  
“Kyrnis is being tended by Larsa’s Imdiko. I need to see to you.”  
His gorgeous face was stone-still as he took up a scanner to examine her. He scanned her whole body, noting bruises here and there, though she was nowhere near as battered as Kyrnis. He focused on her ankle and then nodded. “As I thought. Not broken, not even sprained. But it’s swelling.” He sprayed her foot with an icy substance. She drew in a sharp breath as her bare flesh burned. “It will be numb soon.” She had the brief wish that her nose would go numb soon, too, as almost everyone on the ship, herself included, reeked like an open sewer. The scent of Tragooms.  
She made herself nod and Tynevek moved away to consult with the man attending Kyrnis. She looked around her. She hadn’t even noticed the hatch had been shut and they’d already lifted into the air. She closed her eyes, briefly. It would be her second flight, ever. So much to know but she all she could think was how she’d botched everything. How furious the clan was with her. How much she still didn’t understand.  
Tynevek returned and rubbed away the cold-coating. He took out a tube of lotion and gently held her foot in one big hand while he smoothed the lotion onto the bruised area. She began to feel relief at once.   
“I can give you a pain inhibitor.”  
She’d never known Tynevek to be so terse with her. No pet names now. No touching beyond what was required of him as a doctor. Well, she deserved it, didn’t she? She shook her head. “No, thank you. It’s not that bad.”  
“Rest. We’ll reach base in about twenty minutes.”  
He moved off to sit with Denar. The two talked softly, out of her hearing. Larsa and his Imdiko finished with Kyrnis, who’d been growling over their attentions. When they released him, the Nobek went at once to sit with his clanmates. The look she saw when Tynevek gazed at him was pure devotion and relief. He seemed to drink in the sight of both his lifemates, safe and sound.  
She shifted her head. There was a vid-wall view of the outside as they flew. She could scarcely take in what she was seeing. Blackened trees. Ruined buildings. Highways clogged with abandoned vehicles. Burned-out homes. Graffiti raging at Kalquor, then some raging against Earth Gov. The landscape was scorched in places. In others, fences made of boards and razor wire, glass bits and plastic had been thrown up to defend homes from marauders. She even saw people just wandering about, seeming dazed.   
Something terrible had indeed happened on Earth. They had been telling her the truth about that much. But she still didn’t have evidence for all Denar had claimed. This might simply be evidence of the ongoing war. Even so, it was bad.  
She looked at the clan. Their faces blurred, as if a soft cloud had filled her vision. She was suddenly so tired. She shouldn’t take a break but she simply had to put her head down. Tynevek had told her to rest. She should obey. She woke to feel Tynevek lifting her up off the cot. She wriggled. “You don’t have to carry me. I’ll go on my own.”  
“You’ll do as you’re told.” Denar’s nearby voice was brittle.   
She shrank back, wishing she could somehow make herself less of a burden for the Imdiko to bear. He stalked out of the shuttle and into the sunlight. From every corner of the broad landing area, it seemed, Kalquorians ran to meet them. One of them had a hover chair and Tynevek placed her into it. Another man came to greet Denar with an outstretched hand. He shook Denar’s shoulder in a friendly greeting, then laughed and waved his hand in front of his nose. The man who’d brought the chair began to push her along the walkway into the five-story building that lay ahead of them. Another man was furiously making notes on his tablet while Tynevek trotted alongside, answering his questions in Kalquorian.   
A building before them rose up blocky and tall. It looked like it had once been a shopping mall, or perhaps a fine hotel or resort. She’d never been in one before. This must be the refugee camp, their base, but those guards and fences also made it look like a fortress. Or a prison. Some camp, she thought. No tents or cabins here. It was huge and imposing and the Kalquorians had put up tall fencing all around its perimeter. Armed guards stood watch every few yards. When she was steered through the broad glass doors, reinforced with anti-shatter webbing, she looked up and up into the courtyard at the center of the structure. The whole space was ringed with balconies. Large windows into what might once have been shops or restaurants showed various people—all Kalquorians—at work at desks and workstations. The lights floating above made a pleasant glow and the scent of cooking wafted from one corner. It smelled delicious but Susannah had no appetite.  
Tynevek accompanied her to the medical center. He stood with her as yet another orderly did an intake. He was very deferential and kept looking to the Imdiko as if asking his permission to touch or even speak to her. Tynevek only nodded and supplied a word or two now and then. Her own limited Kalquorian seemed to have deserted her because she didn’t understand any of it. At the end of the session, he spoke for several moments, answering more of the orderly’s questions.   
“Standard protocol for all refugees, Susannah,” he told her when the intake officer hurried off. “We need to gauge the health of everyone who comes through so we can provide for their needs and guard against infections, of course. I told him I had examined you thoroughly and that you have recovered well from starvation and some sensory and psychological deprivation. We’ll know more about radiation later.”  
“Oh. Thank you.” It was all she could think to say.   
Denar joined them. “It’s time to get you settled, Matara.”  
“Settled?”  
“You will stay in medical overnight. Just a precaution. You will have the best care we can provide.”   
Tynevek nodded to an orderly standing by and she was steered, still in the hover chair, out of the examination cube and into a hallway with many doors along its length. Away from Tynevek and the others. 

C8, S2  
Her breathing tightened as she rode. With the exception of the clan, and brief contact with the outside rescue team, she hadn’t been around other people for a very long while. She felt suddenly shy. Vulnerable. Life among the storehouse workers was all she’d known until now. What would happen? How would she deal with it? What would be expected of her?  
“My name is Imdiko Gok,” The orderly walked alongside her chair, guiding it with a practiced touch. His English was excellent, with that odd, slightly guttural Kalquorian accent. “I will be your attendant. Your room is just ahead, on this floor.”  
She gazed around at the many doors and meeting rooms she glimpsed in passing. “This is all a refugee center? It’s so big.”  
“This used to be part of a large hotel that was housed here. We’ve converted a portion of it into our medical center. The other rooms are set aside for the people we bring in or those who come to us for refuge, yes. We have nearly five hundred Earthers staying here at the moment.”  
“Five hundred!”   
“Yes.” The young man’s voice was softly proud. “We have had well over three thousand Earthers on base over the past three years. A great many of them were rescued by your clan, Matara.”  
Her clan. She didn’t correct him. They certainly weren’t hers, but that didn’t matter right now.   
“Here we are.” He guided her into a spacious room with two sizable beds made up with clean but utilitarian-looking bedspreads. “We have no single rooms available, Matara Susannah. Your roommate, Matara Linda, is visiting with her doctors right now but she will be back later today. I believe you will enjoy each other’s company.” He set her chair brake. “How does your ankle feel?”  
She stuck our her foot and wiggled it. “It seems fine. Imdiko Tynevek treated me right away after I...after I injured it.”  
Gok helped her to her feet and she nodded that she was all right. Tynevek’s assessment had been correct. Not a sprain.  
“This is very good, Matara. Doctor Tynevek is one of our best, so of course you have been treated very thoroughly.” Gok’s voice was warm. “I have a change of clothing for you.” He held up a neat bundle, along with two large fluffy towels. “You can shower and change in the bath while I ready your bed and finish my notes on your chart. Press the call toggle if you need anything.”  
“Thank you.” She went to the bathroom. When the lights came up, she startled at the sight of herself in the mirror. Grit and grime covered her from crown to toes. She’d gotten used to it along the way and forgotten it in the hectic events of the past hours. She guessed she stank to the skies, along with the others. Imdiko Gok must have wanted to gag. Oh, yes, if nothing else, she needed a shower.   
The water was blissfully warm. She shut herself into the stall and let it pour down over her, her hands over her eyes. A strong soap released, washing off the dirt and stench, followed by a citrusy-scented rinse.   
With the relief of getting clean, her emotions began to rise. She slumped against the wall. What had happened? What had she done? She saw again the cold looks Denar and Tynevek had given to her, recalled their silence and clipped speech. There was no denying she was the idiot who’d put them in danger. She’d almost been killed herself, at least twice. Did they understand that she had had to run? That she couldn’t have seen any other path? Still, the guilt was powerful. They’d risked their lives for her. They were trying to rescue her, even if she didn’t wish to be rescued.  
Her throat filled with tears. The cave-in had been solid, she was sure. It was almost impossible to take in, but there it was: the storehouse was gone, now. Even if she stayed there, there was no way she could find the help or resources to dig her way back in. Even if she could find someone to trust not to destroy or confiscate the Collection. Even if anyone would allow it. The work of generations, the legacy of ages, was now sealed underground, perhaps forever. Lost forever. She had caused that when she had impelled Kyrnis to fire his weapon into the tunnel.   
And yet...   
Denar’s voice floated back to her. “Not one of the objects in this storehouse is more precious than that. Not one work of art is as valuable as a strand of your beautiful hair or your lovely eyes. No old book can match the wonder of your breathing or your heartbeat. Any living being, with blood in their veins and a beating heart is more precious than all these things.”   
Tears began to fall. She had been more than foolish or impulsive or stubborn. She had been blindly loyal to things. Amazing things, important things, but things all the same. She had put lives in danger rather than give them up. It might turn out the threat to Earth had been exaggerated but she had chosen a cavern full of objects over the lives of people who had, as yet, never shown her they had the slightest interest in harming her. Yes, Denar had blustered at her, threatened her. But, she was willing to guess, he’d threatened because he believed she really was in danger. He’d threatened because, as he’d said, when it came down to it, he would come down on the side of life, above all else.  
Denar was a bossy and domineering, but he was no monster. He’d seen how things were around this place and of course he’d done what he’d seen as his duty: he’d rescued a stubborn brat from a hole in the ground. Never mind the radiation, that last collapse, whether triggered by them or something else, would have destroyed the tunnel and sealed her in forever, alone, if he and his clanmates hadn’t insisted she go. The thought was suddenly terrifying.  
She’d thought she was so clever in her attempt to run. She had almost forced them to pay the ultimate price for the sake of her collection of things, because there was no way those three men would have abandoned their duty or their reverence for life, no matter who it was they’d found in the storehouse.   
She let her tears fall unchecked for a few more moments as she allowed her mind and heart to accept what she now knew. Then, she shampooed her hair and scrubbed herself down once again, wincing at the bruises but not complaining. She’d come out of the last day and a half alive, thanks to the clan and their comrades. She thought of how battered Kyrnis had looked. She needed to apologize, to all of them. But would they even want to speak to her?  
She squared her shoulders as she switched from the shower supply to the drying process. She’d have to try, she thought as the warm are flowed over her. She wasn’t going to allow their care to go unappreciated. She owed them too much. She needed to say it before they went off and she was here on her own.   
When she was finished, and had donned the soft blue fleece top and pants provided for her, she combed her hair with the comb from the basket of toiletries provided, put on slippers, and padded out to the room. She felt almost human again.   
Human, but heartsore.  
Gok waited by the bed with his tablet in hand, his med-wand ready to check her vitals again. She submitted to his gentle testing, then climbed up on the bed.   
“I know you must be hungry.” Gok handed her the tablet and a stylus. “Just check which foods you would like for midday meal and I’ll see they’re brought to you.”  
She stared at the menu and her eyes filled with tears once more. The words blurred. Gok shifted smoothly into action. He’d clearly had experience with weepy Earthers.  
“Here, Matara. Just rest.” He took the tablet. “Dramok Doctor Admek will be in to see you soon. Meanwhile, I’ll bring you something simple to eat and to drink and then, when you’re feeling better, you have only to ask.” He looked at her, his head tilted to one side in a concerned way. “Is there anything I can do for you before I go see to my other charges?”   
She shook her head. He strode out, his many dark braids waving as he went. She settled back against the pillows and gazed around her. This was a strange place, this hospital that was still mostly a hotel. She considered, briefly, that this medical “processing” she was undergoing might be just a coverup for more sinister purposes. She saw Gok bustling past with a couple of large stuffed toys and a plate of cookies. Would anyone who carted teddy bears and cookies to his “prisoners,” likely have an evil agenda? She closed her eyes. When had she become so stupid? She kept jumping to conclusions without sound evidence. Some scholar she was. Had her infatuation with the clan made her somehow more prone to emotional storms?   
“Matara.”  
She started at the sound of Denar’s voice. She shifted and raised herself up on the bed. “How--how are you?”   
The three men stood just inside the doorway of her room. She made a quick search of their bodies. Kyrnis sported a clear web-bandage over his very swollen and darkened eye and Denar had multiple scratches and scrapes on his face. Tynevek just looked weary. No one was using crutches or anything worse, she noted with relief. They’d cleaned up, too. They did, however, look very, very serious.   
“I’m sorry.”  
Denar regarded her coolly. “Sorry for what?”  
She stiffened her spine. “I’m sorry for being a brat. For jumping to conclusions. For lying to you and running away and putting you all in danger. Oh, Kyrnis, I’m so, so sorry! I almost got you killed!”   
“Why did you not come to us and tell us what was worrying you?” Tynevek’s beautiful eyes were shadowed with disappointment. The look pierced her heart.   
“I-I just didn’t think you really meant that you wanted to take me somewhere safe. I thought that you just wanted to get me away from the storehouse.”  
“We did want to get you away from the storehouse, Susannah. I told you that from the first day.” Denar’s tone was frosty. “We wanted you out of a place where you were hungry and alone and at risk for radiation poisoning at the minimum. Why did you suddenly decide we were bastards who wanted to harm you?”   
She looked down at the bit of blanket she was twisting in her hands. “I don’t know. I think I was feeling...confused. I didn’t think. I just reacted when you threatened me. And when you talked about Armageddon. I couldn’t believe your story. I acted like a ninny.” Her voice dropped away.   
“Was there something we did that made you not trust us?” Kyrnis’ words pierced like little stabs to her heart.   
“N-no. Not really.”  
“You didn’t like it when I shouted at you that I was through coddling you.” Denar’s tone was flat. “When I told you we were taking you out of the storehouse, no matter what you wanted.”  
“Yes. You scared me.” She raised her eyes to his. “You threatened everything I’ve held dear, all of my life. I think I just fell back on those old stories that Kalquorians only want to take captives. That they want every good thing Earth has to offer.”   
“You thought that even after all the time we’d spent together?” Denar crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve been suspicious of us all along?”  
Yes, that must have been what it seemed like to them. “I’m sorry, Denar. I didn’t mean to be such a coward. When you said you were going to drag me off, I panicked.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “I’ve been trained all my life to be suspicious of anyone wanting to take over the storehouse. We were always afraid someone would come and drag us out. They would have killed us and confiscated the Collection. All of it would have been lost.” She gave Denar a hard look. “You knew that from the first day.”  
“I did not forget, although I should not have lost my temper and threatened you. But you forgot that we love you.” Denar’s eyes were sharp.   
She gaped. “Love me?”  
“I thought we had shown you that we do. I said so when we were arguing that day.”  
“You said...”   
Her memory played it all again. Denar speaking to her. It was what she’d been recalling earlier, only she’d left out part, hadn’t she? Denar had been talking: “Not one of the objects in this storehouse is more precious than that... The whole of this Collection is nothing in comparison with the miracle of you! And not just you, the woman that we love.”   
“Oh.” Yes, he had said it. In her stupid panic, she’d blanked it out. “You love me?”  
Denar looked like he wanted to smack his forehead and yell “Duh!” Then he softened. “I didn’t do a good job of showing you that day. I bullied you. I shouldn’t have been such a--a--”  
“A Dramok?” She looked up at him from under her lashes.   
Tynevek and Kyrnis snickered, but sobered quickly at Denar’s black look. “Yes. I was being a Dramok. I was being the one who always has to be in charge and tell everyone what to do.” He glared at all of them in turn. “I do it because I care, dammit! And I can’t just stop being a Dramok!”  
“I know. It’s not your fault, Denar. I was the idiot! God, when I think of how stupid I was, how you might have died, Kyrnis--”  
The Nobek grinned and held up a hand. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”  
Her eyes went wide. “What?”   
“Sweetness, I’ve got a great story to tell! And maybe even a new scar, if that damned attendant of Larsa’s didn’t make it too easy to heal.” He gazed down at her, his leonine face bright, eyes blazing. “I got to rescue my love from a Tragoom and a cave-in all in the space of minutes!”  
His love. “Yes. About that. You need to tell Gok and the others that I’m not your clanmate. They seem to think I belong to you.”  
“You do.”   
She grimaced at Denar’s words. “Don’t. I feel bad enough. After all I’ve put you through, you don’t need to pretend. I know there’s no clan bond between us. And you can’t want me after the boneheaded stunts I’ve pulled.”  
“Not true.” Tynevek lifted the tablet with her vid-chart from the end of her bed. He handed it to her. “This is what we told the intake staff.”  
She looked at the form, which was shifting from Kalquorian to English in its translation mode. “Matara Susannah Talcott. Assimilated Earther female under the exclusive protection of Clan Denar. All inquiries to be shared with Dramok Denar. All medical inquiries and treatments to be cleared through Imdiko Doctor Tynevek of Clan Denar. All matters of security and privacy to be shared with Nobek Kyrnis of Clan Denar.” She stared around at them. “Exclusive protection?”  
Denar looked wickedly pleased. “You are our ward for the time being. That form is binding until we all agree it should end, a period not to exceed three Earth weeks. We told the intake officers that you were not really competent to decide at this point. Fortunately, we are well-trusted here. They took us at our word without subjecting you to an immediate psychological examination. You will stay with us and you will include us in all your decisions as long as this agreement is in place.” Denar looked at her with dark intent. “All decisions, Susannah. You will come to us and talk with us and you will not keep secrets from your guardians. Do you understand?”  
“But--”   
“Not up for discussion, sweetness. You signed it back at intake.”  
She blinked at Kyrnis’s growl, then stared at the tablet. That was her signature, all right. She really had been incompetent when they brought her in. They had tricked her and their superiors into naming them as her guardians. She looked into each of their gorgeous faces. Did they really want her? Really love her? She had done the stupidest things imaginable and they had forgiven her. They had taken her back into their circle, made a way for her to be with them. Did they have anything else in mind?   
Denar gave one of his purely evil chuckles. “Ah, you’re catching on. You can break the rules, little scholar, and we will forgive you, but don’t imagine you can escape the consequences.”  
She froze. All three of them suddenly looked like those wolfen predators she’d come to know in the storehouse, those times when they’d stalked her and carried her off to their bed. Only moreso. She felt suddenly frightened and aroused. She scented...cinnamon?   
They really had forgiven her! She burst into tears. All three of them looked startled, then dismayed. “Oh, you big goofs!”  
Denar bridled. “Excuse me?”  
She lifted wet, shining eyes. “Thank you. It’s like I said. You are my knights in shining formsuits. My darling ones.”   
She opened her arms and after a stunned second, they filled in around her, kissing her and cuddling her and petting her everywhere they could reach.   
“Ah-hem.”

C8, S3  
They halted before any clothing came off. A ferocious-looking man in hospital coat and badge stood in the doorway. Susannah grinned at him. “Dramok Doctor Admek, I presume?”  
Admek chased away the clan, which made Susannah hold him in great respect and awe. He was evidently very territorial about his patients, even the ones who were in his care only as a formality. He grilled her about her health, reviewed her chart, scowled over her ankle. Before he left, he eyed her sharply. She was so reminded of Denar, she almost giggled. Evidently, no matter his profession, a Dramok was a Dramok.  
“This clan is not pressuring you, Matara.” He pronounced it like an edict, not an inquiry into her well-being.   
“No, Doctor, they’re not.”  
“If they are, I will report them at once. We cannot allow our evac teams to take advantage of the Mataras we rescue. They have been trained. They know the rules.”  
“I know the rules, too, Doctor. Clan Denar made them very clear to me when we were trapped together. I care for them. I want to be with them. They are—dear to me.”  
He regarded her with narrowed eyes. “I hope you mean that. If I find they’ve been false in their intentions, that you’ve come to harm—”  
Once again, she almost giggled. The man was acting like a protective papa. Admek might be a formidable force but his heart was in the right place. Sheesh. These Kalquorians were supposed to be such terrible beings and yet she kept coming across the most warm-hearted people she ever could have imagined.   
She recalled the battles in the woods and amended that. They were warm-hearted until someone threatened one of their own. Then, you saw the creatures Earthers called the most vicious, single-minded warriors in the known universe.   
Maybe that was just fine with her. Maybe she could be as strong.  
Not long after Admek had left, Gok came in, guiding an Earther woman on a hover-stretcher. She waved breezily at Susannah, then swept her hand toward her own bed. “Set me there, my good man. And see to those peeled grapes I ordered. Chop-chop.”  
Gok’s grin split his face and his dark eyes crinkled. “Yes, your royal highness. I will also have the hummeling-bird tongues sent with the grapes.”  
“Hummingbirds, sweetie.” Linda’s look was fond.  
Susannah watched with a wondering smile. Gok settled the woman into her bed, gently but competently lifting her legs up and arranging them so he could swing the large medical unit over them and switch on its humming processors.   
Gok turned to Susannah. “Matara Susannah, this is Matara Linda. You and she will be roommates tonight.”  
“Hey there!” Linda was about five or so years older than Susannah, with a mop of brown curls and big gray eyes. She had a smile like mischief incarnate. “Welcome to Gok’s Harem!”  
Susannah blinked. “Thanks. I think.” She looked at the young Imdiko, who was smiling but had colored up, just a bit.   
“Now, Matara Linda. You promised to be sweet.”  
“I am sweet. Sweet as pie a la mode.” Linda leaned a bit to see Susannah. “Gok rules over ten women right now. He has to wear roller skates to keep up with all of us, but he aims to please.”  
“I have ten Earther Mataras in my care unit,” Gok explained to Susannah. “And I do not wear the rolling skates.” He puffed up, eyes merry. “I am Kalquorian. We work fast.”  
Linda laughed outright and Susannah grinned. Gok looked dismayed. “Did I say it wrong?”  
“No, not from what I’ve seen,” Linda chortled. “You Kalquorians do work fast. And you can run, too.”  
Gok rolled his eyes. “The double meaning. I get this.” He wagged his finger at Susannah’s roommate. “You must behave or I’ll report you to Dramok Admek.”  
Linda still grinned but she held up her hands in surrender. “God, no. Anyone but Admek. The man’s worse than my old granddad. I’ll behave, Gok.”  
“Very well. I have to make one more adjustment...” Gok concentrated on the many dials and readouts on the medical tent covering Linda’s legs. “There. You are set. I have to check on Matara Delia, then I’ll be back to take your dinner orders.”  
He bowed quickly to both women, then hurried out the door again. Linda turned to Susannah.   
“Isn’t he just the cutest?” She wriggled a bit to adjust her pillows behind her back. “I tease him all the time and he just blushes and stammers. But if we need the tiniest thing, Gok’s here in a flash and he can take charge like a general if one of his Mataras is out of line. Even worse if he thinks someone’s messing with one of us.”  
Susannah grinned. “Sure he’s not a Dramok?”   
Linda shrugged. “I kind of doubt it, though I’ve heard that there are some who are two breeds at once. Can you imagine that? No, I think Sweetie Gok is all Imdiko.” She nodded in approval. “Sounds like you know a little bit about our hosts.”  
“Yes, I was with a rescue team for a while. It, uh, took time for them to get me here.” She eyed the other woman’s bed. “You’re not here to be processed overnight, are you?”  
“Nope. I got crossways with an Earther gang from just north of here. They thought my little niece should come with them. I disagreed. They shot both my knees but Tina got clean away. Fast runner. She came and found me after they’d gone and left me in a ditch. We made it a good two miles down the road before the boys from base found us. That was a lonngg two miles, I tell you.”  
“I can imagine.” No wonder her legs were covered. “Were you scared the Kalquorians were going to—you know?”  
“Rape us and take us up into outer space to be their sex slaves and baby-ovens?”  
Susannah nodded. It sounded pretty silly when she said it out loud.  
“For about ten seconds. Then one of them, a big, burly guy with a face like one of those statues on Easter Island, knelt down beside me and apologized for any pain I might have suffered because he and his crew couldn’t get past those murderous raiding parties all along the outskirts of the city. He was bleeding in two places. They’d had to fight their way out to get to us. He looked like he was going to bawl because he wasn’t fast enough when they spotted us from the air! Well, they just put me on a hover-stretcher, hustled us onto their shuttle and took us here. The big guy never once let off patting my hand and apologizing, through the whole intake process. All that bowing and smiling!” She blinked at Susannah. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to start babbling. Sometimes the pain meds make me a little loopy.”  
“You don’t sound loopy at all.”  
“How’d you come here? Did you come in on your own? No, you said a rescue team helped you?”  
“Yes, a rescue team.”   
“Good for you. You don’t have to worry. If these guys do plan to harm us, then they’re the best actors who ever lived and they’ve spent more money than King Midas on their sets and props. I plan to enjoy it while I have the chance.” That mischievous grin flashed.  
Gok returned with menu tablets and sent out their meal orders. He was back with a server table in a matter of minutes. He helped Susannah to sit up more comfortably.   
“I feel like I’m taking a bed from someone who really needs it.” She pointed out to the hallway. “I could just as well sleep on a cot or on the floor—”  
Gok’s look was pure horror. “No, Matara! That would not be right. Everyone who is processed into the base stays the night in medical. Standing orders.”  
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be ungrateful, I just don’t want to be a burden. If you’re sure, then I guess it’s okay.”  
“It is oh-kay.” His look was wry. “Doctor Admek would have me flayed alive and staked out on an cuthla hive if he thought I’d allowed one of my patients to sleep on the floor.” He laid out a napkin for her and waved to the food. “Eat what you wish. If you need anything else, just speak into the com unit on your bed.” He beamed. “Your clan said they will return this evening, Matara. They had to attend debriefing sessions and make reports, of course.” He shrugged, suppressing a smile. “Paperwork. Your Nobek was not amused.”  
He was gone again. Susannah looked up to see Linda staring at her, round-eyed. “Your clan? I thought—”  
Susannah shook her head. “No! No. I do not have a clan. I--the team that rescued me happens to be a clan.”  
“Wow. But why does Gok think you’re their Matara?”  
“Well, for some reason, they decided to make me their ward, temporarily. I don’t have family or anything like that, so they just...just want to be sure I’m taken care of.”  
She coughed and took a sip of her water. Linda watched her, a tiny frown turning down the corners of her mouth. She shrugged and then Gok was back, bringing Linda’s dinner.  
Susannah’s appetite returned. She ate the good meal, laughed and chatted with her roommate about the staff and about their experiences with the Kalquorians so far. Still, she wondered where her “guardian clan” was right now. Getting some much-needed rest, she hoped. She missed them. Not that they missed her, of course. They probably felt they were on vacation from Susannah.   
In the morning, though, she woke to find Clan Denar gathered around her bed. She blinked sleepily at them and sat up. “What’s going on?”  
“Nothing special, darling girl. We just needed to see if you were all right. You may leave the med unit as soon as you’ve had morning meal and Dr. Admek has had a chance to review your condition.”  
“Ah. Where will I go?”  
“Home.” Denar’s smile was both happy and wicked. “With us.”  
“Home?” Susannah looked warily from one to another. “To your quarters?”  
“For now,” was all the Dramok would say. Later, as she rode along in the hover-chair that Gok and Tynevek had insisted she use for one more day until her ankle was better, she noted that the opulence of the hotel-medical space had given way to a breezeway connecting the big building with a smaller, temporary structure at the back. The clan checked in with the guard at the gate, who was doing his best, she saw, not to stare at Susannah. They passed inside and came down a dimly lit corridor with several doors on each side. They stopped at one door toward the far end and Denar spoke a word in Kalquorian that she thought meant something like a doughnut, though she could have been confused. The door slid open. Kyrnis scooped her up from the chair and carried her inside. It was dimmer in here, too.   
“No lights?” she murmured.   
Tynevek chuckled. “Our optic nerves work optimally in lower light than you need as an Earther. This is how we like it, but we can add more light if you wish.”  
“No.” She looked around at them from her place in Kyrnis’ arms. “This is your home. You should keep it just as you like. I can adjust.”  
“Thank you, little one.” Kyrnis put her down on the big sofa and scooted a cushioned stool toward her so she could elevate her foot.”  
“We wish to talk to you, ward.”  
She blinked at Denar. Ward? Uh-oh.   
“We need to establish some rules if you are to be under our guardianship.” Denar stood tall, his arms crossed over his chest. He was definitely in his best head of the clan mode. “First of all, you will remember that we love you.”  
He said it with such a serious look she almost giggled. She held it in and nodded.   
“You will say ‘Yes, Dramok’ when you reply to me, Susannah.” His deep growl almost rumbled in her own diaphragm. “In our quarters, on this base, you will treat me with respect.”  
“Yes, Dramok.” She stared up into his keen gaze, waiting.   
“You will, as we said, discuss everything with us. Everything. We can’t help you or care for you if you keep secrets from us. Understood?”  
She wanted to ask if the same rule applied to them but decided against it, given that growly tone. “Yes, Dramok.”  
“You will stay in contact with us all day, all night, all the time.”  
“Even if I—”  
“All the time. You will have a com unit and you’ll wear it at all times. We expect you to check in with at least one us every hour, no matter what.”  
It had been a very long time since she had had to answer to anyone. But she had agreed to no secrets. She would just have to take it. None of the three looked willing to negotiate. Or compromise. “Yes, Dramok.”  
He lifted his chin. “You may have your own room, if you wish. Our arrangement is for us to be your guardians, no matter what. But we will not force ourselves on you.”  
She looked down at her hands. Not sleep with them? How could they say they loved her and not want her to be with them? Things were getting so complicated. What did she really want?  
“You may share with us, too, Curator.” Kyrnis’ voice was equally authoritarian but she realized they were really were giving her a choice. This was no longer their faraway idyll in the storehouse. This was real life.   
“Yes, Nobek.”  
“Yes, what, Susannah?”  
“Yes, Nobek. I want to sleep with you three.”  
She peeked up to see all three of them soften their stances, ever so slightly. Had they been bracing themselves for rejection? Oh, she had a lot to make up for, that was clear.  
“You will submit to our decisions, Susannah. There will be times when you must do what we tell you without question, do you understand?”  
“No, Dramok.” She raised her hands. “You wanted me to be honest with you. I don’t understand.”  
“We are not tucked into a cozy storehouse. We are in the middle of a battle zone, even though the war has ended. You could be in danger at any time, from many different threats. We need to be able to trust that you’ll do as we say, at once, so we can protect you. It’s what we are trained to do.”  
“Yes, Dramok.”  
“You are free to be in our quarters or in the Atrium area, or one of the other public areas of the center, as long as one of us escorts you there and back. There are many things to do in the center. We will have to be on duty so we can’t expect you to stay cooped up in here alone. But you will still check in with us on a regular basis.”  
“Yes, Dramok.”  
“Can you follow these rules, Susannah?” Tynevek’s voice was quiet but clear and firm.   
“Yes, Imdiko.”  
“If you’re to live with us, you have to be willing to submit to the rules of the clan. Can you do that?” Denar’s eyes pierced her.  
“I can, Dramok.” Even though she really had no choice. She was their “ward.”  
“Very well. Then you need to know that behavior like yours out in the woods is completely against our rules. You were willful, secretive, and careless.”  
She swallowed. She felt guilty enough. Did he have to rub it in?  
“You know now that it was wrong?”  
“Yes, Dramok.”  
“Do you know why?”  
“I-I think so. I put you all in danger, you and the other members of the rescue squad. I made you chase after me. I ran away and left you all under attack. I almost got Kyrnis killed in the storehouse entry tunnel.”  
“Is that all?”  
Wasn’t that enough? “I suppose I also lied and kept secrets from you.”  
“You also did not come to us and tell us what you were thinking and feeling. You treated us like strangers who meant nothing to you.” Tynevek’s beautiful mouth turned down.   
“You said you wanted us to be your clan while we were with you. If you had been truly willing to live with a clan, you wouldn’t have gone off on your own. If you were our Matara, we would have looked like fools to the other men, males who couldn’t take care of their woman. A Kalquorian clanmate’s behavior directly affects the image of his or her clan.”  
She gulped and nodded at Kyrnis’ words. She had embarrassed them in front of their comrades. Yet another way she’d messed up.   
“I’m sorry.” It wasn’t much, but it was all she had.  
“Did you understand what it might do to us if we lost a Matara we were sworn to rescue? How it would be for us to face that?” Kyrnis’ voice held a sudden, desperate note.  
Oh, god. She covered her cheeks, stricken. “I’m so, so sorry.” Tears were imminent.  
“Truly?” Denar moved a step closer.   
“Truly, Dramok.”  
“Then you will be ready to accept our discipline.”  
She gulped. What did that mean? Denar’s look was granite hard, but there was a spark of light in his eyes.   
“Are you ready, Susannah? This is how it is within a clan and for now, you are in our clan as our ward.”  
“Y-yes, Dramok.” Oh, god, what had she gotten herself into now?  
“Then you will undress.”  
She stared from man to man. All of them wore serious, implacable expressions. Did she dare disobey? Did she want to?  
Her hands rose and gathered the hem of the loose fleece tunic she wore. Gok had taken all of her own clothes to be washed, so she wore no bra underneath. There was a soft hiss of breath as her breasts were bared to them.   
“Very nice, Matara. Now the pants.”   
She kicked off the soft shoes she’d been given and rose from the couch. Tynevek put out his hand to steady her. With all those hot eyes upon her, she pushed down the blue pants that were the uniform of all the refugees on the medical unit. She had no panties, either, so when she stepped out of the pants, she was naked before them. She couldn’t help the gooseflesh that rose on her arms, not because the room was cold, but because there was something exciting about being the sole, vulnerable, naked one in a room full of fully-dressed males. Males, she noted with another shiver, who had growing erections.   
Just what was their plan?  
Denar strode to the couch and took a seat. She turned to face him. He patted his thighs. “Come here, Susannah.”

C8, S3  
She hesitated. Denar’s eyes narrowed. Tynevek spoke. “Across his lap. Face down.”  
She cast a wide-eyed glance at the Imdiko, who looked as stern as the Dramok. She looked to Kyrnis, her defender. His look was equally cool. She bit her lip and made herself obey. Moving slowly, she came to stand beside Denar. She bent over. Denar supported her gently, guiding her down until she was lying across his lap, her head down, her breasts hanging over, her ass in the air. Her toes just met the floor. Denar’s hand was in the center of her back, steadying her. She could not relax, even so. She knew what was coming.   
“Disobedience is met with punishment, Susannah.” Denar’s voice was deep and dark. “You will receive ten spanks from each of us for the danger you put yourself in and five more from each for the danger in which you put others.”  
Oh, God. She’d never been spanked in her life. This was humiliation, not just punishment. She tried to struggle up. “No! Spankings are for children.”  
A scant second later, a big hand slapped her ass, with a resounding whack. She started, her flesh suddenly on fire. “That hurt!”  
“That hurt, what, Susannah?”  
“That hurt my ass! Dramok!” This was crazy! She was obeying his protocol even after he’d smacked her bottom. His hand held her in place, stopping her struggles.  
“It’s supposed to hurt, little one.” Kyrnis’ voice matched Denar’s silky darkness. “This is punishment. You’re supposed to feel it.”  
“And learn from it,” Tynevek added.   
She sulked. “I’ll learn that you like to hurt me.”   
Wham! “I do not like to punish you, Susannah.” Denar’s tone was severe. “I like spanking a pretty ass, yes, and yours is truly lovely, but this is not playtime. Physical discipline is part of our way. You wish to be with us, then you will learn to behave.” He caressed her ass, gently, despite the harshness of his words.   
Oh. So he was done. “I understand, Dramok.” She started to lift up.   
His big hand pushed her back down, raising her ass even higher. “Count, Susannah. Fifteen.”  
Wham! She fought against tears as the burn spread across her tender flesh.   
“Count.” Kyrnis sounded both angry and firm. Wham! She jerked. “The count is one, Susannah.”  
“One!” She was tempted to correct his math, but she choked out the word. Wham! “Two!”  
Now Denar began to pepper her ass with smacks, barely giving her time to gasp out the count. She was ragingly angry and it hurt like hell. His strikes ranged all over her cheeks, sometimes even striking what she found was the very tender underside of her buttocks, right at the juncture of her ass and thighs. Tears ran down her face, dripped onto the floor. “Fifteen!”  
Denar stopped and held her still. Once again, his hand caressed her gently, but she still stung. There was fire where he’d spanked her.   
“So pretty.”  
She froze. She felt Denar bend and kiss the small of her back.   
“A lovely pink, my Dramok.” Tynevek sounded like he was studying a classic portrait in the storehouse art gallery.   
“Excellent work.” Great. Now Kyrnis was chiming in. “But like you said, this isn’t play, my Dramok.”   
She was beginning to re-think turning down her own room. She hated them. Why had she thought-- Denar pulled her up until she was sitting on his lap. “Ow!” Even the smooth formsuit he wore abraded her riled flesh.   
He kissed her forehead, briefly, then stood her on her feet. “You’re right, Kyrnis. She’s yours, my Imdiko.”  
Tynevek took a seat and Denar guided her down onto his lap. Why wasn’t she fighting back? Tynevek smoothed aside her hair and ran a hand down her back. She sighed and relaxed. Tynevek was her friend. Her tenderest lover.  
“Imdiko. You’re not helping.” Kyrnis again. The man was a stickler.  
“Sorry.” Tynevek pressed a hand to her back and snapped, “Count!”  
Susannah shrieked as his lightning fast spanks shoved her to a whole new level of pain. Where was her sweet Imdiko now? She lost the thought as she struggled to keep count.   
Her bottom was past warming. Her breasts tingled where they rubbed against the Imdiko’s lap. Her tears still fell but she was past sobbing, too. She just let herself endure and count.   
At last, it was over. Tynevek was silent. Was he still angry? He lifted her up and she felt his erection against her stomach as she rose. She looked up and saw a crowd of emotions in his amazing face. He looked angry, yes, but he also looked deeply hurt, as if he’d been the one who’d taken the spanking. And—his erection confirmed--aroused. She felt herself heat even more, and in other places, at the scent of his arousal. God, even when he’d spanked her, she was still so ready to be taken.   
Tynevek steered her onto Kyrnis’ lap. Before he lowered her, the Nobek took her by the shoulders and lowered her until she was sitting in his lap. Maybe he was going to refuse to spank her? She abandoned this notion as he tipped her backward. He wrapped an arm under her calves and hoisted her legs. She perched in his lap, legs in the air. Oh, god, now what? He pulled her closer to his chest and tipped her up so that her legs were on one side of his head, against his shoulder. He had perfect access to her, and her tender feminine parts were exposed and vulnerable.   
She moaned and tensed in anticipation of his first strike. Kyrnis was unbelievably strong. How would she survive?  
“No, little one. Relax as much as you can. Being tense makes it hurt more.”  
Oh, wonderful. Advice from her tormentor. Still, she tried to do as he asked. “Yes, Nobek.”  
White hot pain sheeted across her ass. She shouted out “One!” Tears spurted once more.  
“Very good. Now, relax.”  
She shrieked out the count as Kyrnis blistered her behind. After the first few, she managed to relax a little and found his advice was, in fact, sound. To her relief, he avoided her genitals and concentrated wholly on spanking her already reddened ass cheeks. Still, she dug her nails into the lounger. The pain reached deep, beyond her beleaguered ass.   
Suddenly, she was sobbing. Her heart was overflowing. She wanted to howl at the way she’d hurt them, at her stupid, impulsive actions. She did love them, and yet she’d treated them like enemies. The loss of the storehouse, now buried, helped the flood. Sorrow engulfed her, even beyond the pain Kyrnis was imparting. Tears poured down her face as she sobbed out the count.   
At last, the blows subsided and she lay limp across the Nobek’s lap, her tears subsiding as well. She felt empty and blank.  
Someone spoke. “Check her, Kyrnis. She needs care.”  
He pulled her up and cuddled her against his chest. He lifted her chin with one finger and studied her eyes. “She’s fine, my Imdiko.”  
She gazed up at him, wonderingly. Yes. She was fine. She dropped her head onto Kyrnis’ shoulder and snuggled in. He chuckled and stroked her breast. So, so nice, but she was a rag.   
“Denar?” Kyrnis rumbled. She could still feel his hardness against her hip.  
Denar sounded choked. “Tynevek and I have to report in five, and our ward is looking more than a little rattled.”  
“Shit.”  
“It’s better this way. We don’t want to send the wrong message. This was punishment.” Denar squatted down and took her hand. “Look at me, Susannah. We have to leave. You will stay here and rest. Tynevek will check you before we go and Kyrnis will be with you until his shift is called. Are you all right?”  
She nodded. Her body was loving the scent of sex rising from the men, though she lacked the strength to do anything about it. “Yes, Dramok,” she remembered to say at the last moment.   
“I’ll take her.”   
Kyrnis rose and handed her over to Tynevek. Denar held her hand. “Your ass is going to be very, very sore, Susannah. Remember what happened out there. Don’t try to trick us again.”  
“Yes, Denar.” She met his eyes briefly, then turned them down. It was hard to see his disappointment in her.   
Tynevek laid her face down on the big lounger and ran his hand over her ass. “Very hot and very red. But I don’t see any bruising.” He helped her sit up and she grimaced as her sore flesh met the upholstery. “Please remember how this feels, Susannah. I don’t want to do this again.”  
She looked up and saw genuine distress in Tynevek’s eyes. He gave her a curt nod and swung away to join Denar on his way out the door.   
“I don’t want to do it again, either.” Kyrnis stood above her. “But I will, if I have to. You will learn this lesson.”  
She was beginning to emerge from her lethargy. Her mouth turned down. “You think I’m a child. You appoint yourselves my guardians without even asking me. You spank me like a child.”  
“Trust me, Susannah. We do not see you as a child. I’m still hard from holding you and looking at your beautiful ass.” He gave a pointed, downward glance. She saw it was true. The bulge that strained at his formsuit was large and impressive. Despite her pain and grief, she felt an answering throb in her pussy. She had to be nuts.   
“Our clan is not interested in having sex with a child. It doesn’t appeal to us, in any way. On our world, anyone caught interfering with the safety, peace, or innocence of a child can expect our harshest punishment. And we Kalquorians can be very, very harsh. Denar, Tynevek, and I have no issue with those laws.”  
She caught the knife-edge of controlled rage as he spoke the words. She guessed he himself would gladly dole out such a punishment to anyone caught in that offense.  
Denar met her eyes with piercing clarity. “We see you as you are. We see a bright young woman who hasn’t had much experience in the world. One who has been alone. One who’s forgotten what it means to be part of a group. One who can be selfish at times.”  
His blunt words stung, though there was no anger in his face or his voice. He was right. She had been thinking like she was the only one who mattered. She had acted that way. She might not be a child but she felt very small at that moment. She realized it was a part of why she had wept.   
“I’m sorry. I can’t stop saying that but I don’t know what else I can say.”   
“I believe you.”  
“Can I hug you?”  
“No, little one. Not until Denar’s satisfied you’ve received the message.”  
“Is he going to spank me again?”  
Kyrnis paused. “Do you want him to?”  
She started. “Wh-what?”  
He chuckled. “That was punishment. Later, we’ll see about spanking for fun.”  
Fun? Was he high? Her ass felt roasted, medium-well.  
Tynevek rose and held out his hand. “Come. You need to rest.”  
“Can I get dressed?”  
His eyes narrowed. “No. I think I’m entitled to at least look at those sweet breasts even if I can’t touch them.”  
“Entitled?”  
“Yes. Did you think it was easy to punish you?”  
“Then why--” She stopped. They’d already made clear why they’d spanked her. It was time to let it go. “Where can I lie down?”  
He guided her to their sleeping room. The sleeping mat was starkly made up but it was large enough to easily accommodate the entire clan. Maybe with room to spare for a female?  
He hung back, as if he didn’t trust himself to touch her in this intimate space. She climbed onto the bed and slid under the blanket, face down. He towered over her.   
“Sleep. Later, you might be very glad you did.” He softened. “And you need to let your ankle heal.”  
“Yes, Nobek.” She bit her lip, wanting so much to have him come and cuddle with her. And more. Really, her body was incorrigible. So was her heart, it seemed.  
He left the room without a sound. She shook her head. All the pain and tears seemed to have cleared away so much that had been in her heart. All the anger. The terror. The loss. The danger. She knew there were amends to be made, and she would mourn the loss of the storehouse, maybe always. But their barbaric spanking had shaken her to her center. She felt emptied, and washed clean, somehow.   
The soft lights went dimmer. Kyrnis must have turned them down to help her nod off. He was still his considerate self, despite having peppered her ass as hard as the others had. Had he known what would happen to her when they spanked her? That she would somehow find relief in the midst—even because of—all that pain?  
She yawned. This was a strange place and a very new situation. How long it would be before she had to decide what she would choose to do next? She needed information. She needed to know what the clan was planning. There was so much to know.   
But she was not going to run away again. One ass-roasting was going to last her forever, she vowed. She needed…she could…

C8, S4  
She woke to the sound of someone moving about the room. She peered into the semi-darkness. She started up, then gave a cry as her sore ass complained.   
“Here, beauty.” Tynevek pulled back the blanket. “It won’t be long until Denar gets back. Then I can treat you. For now, stay on your stomach.”  
“Are you going away?”  
“Just to the kitchen. I came to make you midday meal.”  
“Oh.” She twisted her head so she could see his face. “You’re going to feed—I mean, it’s punishment time...”  
His handsome face softened. “Did you think we were going to starve you, sweetness?”  
“Well, bread and water, at least.”  
He smiled. “No. You had your punishment and you’re feeling it. We’re not interested in harming you. And you are not our prisoner.” He covered her again. “Besides, I just got you fully nourished. I’m not about to undo all the effort I put into sneaking more calories into your meals.”  
He left the room, but soon returned, bringing her food. He helped her sit up so he could feed her, allowing her to sit on a pillow. She almost teared up again at the tender way he performed what she knew was a special task for him. This felt so much better. She took every bite he gave her and drank her juice pack.   
He let her get up after her meal, but he refused to allow her to wear clothing. The place was comfortably warm, so she gave in with good grace. After all, the men had seen every inch of her body by now, as she had seen theirs.  
She wandered about their quarters while Tynevek did the washing up and then sat down at his computer to do some work. He motioned for her to come close and gave her a handheld.   
“This will connect you to the Source. There’s a lot of information available on Armageddon and what has been happening since the end of the war. I know you’re curious and you have a right to know all.”  
“The Source?”  
He nodded. “It’s just how we refer to our Imperial central data base. It’s a lot more than just one entity—you would understand with your background in data collection and archiving. But we have one general portal into it for most of the population of the Empire—wherever they are.”  
Riches! “I see.” She thanked him and started to walk away. He took her arm, gently. “No, you stay here where I can see you.”  
“Really? You don’t trust me after all that?” She looked down at herself, then around the room. Her clothing was nowhere to be seen. “Where am I going to run off to stark naked?”   
His eyes sparkled. “I’m just exercising my rights as your guardian. I have to stand guard over that pretty little stark naked body.”  
She felt something warm curl around her heart. Yep. This was her Imdiko. Her beast. Those sparkling purple eyes were absolutely feasting on her breasts. She softened but couldn’t resist the chance to tease him, just a little. “Yes, Imdiko.” She stayed where she was but turned her back to him.   
She heard a familiar growl. “If you think I don’t like seeing your sweet, hot pink ass, beauty, you’re not the scholar I thought you were.”  
She wiggled her hips.   
“Oh, I wouldn’t do that, Susannah. You know what happens when you challenge an aroused Kalquorian. You don’t want another swat back there, do you?”  
She gulped. “No, Imdiko.”  
“Very well. Now, I want to see the breasts I’m guarding.”  
She turned back to face him, contrite. “I’m sorry. I’ll be good.”  
“You are good, sweetness. You’re just indulging in a bit of brat behavior.”  
He began tapping at his computer. She set the handheld to translate into English and began to search. She didn’t have long to wait to find links to Armageddon and the history of the war. There was little information about the Biblical origins of the word, but the links contained some of the most horrendous vids and news articles imaginable. Cities had been blown to bits, great monuments toppled, buildings, homes, transportation, schools, businesses, houses of government obliterated. People’s bodies, torn to shreds and partially buried in debris. Ruin and fire and terror. Those were the first shaky, brief bursts that had managed to make it out of the devastation.   
Then, madness.  
As the world that was left tried to deal first with the disasters, then with the reality that all laws and norms of their society had been wiped away, like a hand sweeping chess pieces off the board, chaos reigned. Terrified Earthers were reduced to their most primitive, animal instincts, it seemed. Looting and killing and fighting were rampant. Here and there, she saw people trying to help, medical personnel struggling to give aid, people sheltering their shocked and weeping children. Many cursed the Kalquorian Empire. Some people, newly freed, many of them women from the labor camps and prisons, blessed them, even as they faced the devastation of the planet. At least they were out from under the government’s iron fist.   
But where were the Kalquorians in all of this? There were no vids of the aliens amid that destruction. She was about to ask Tynevek, when she came across the vids of Browning Copeland that had come through in the aftermath. At first, the Shepherd swore the Kalquorian Empire had been the authors of Earth’s doom. Then, stories had slowly begun to leak, she learned. According to reports from both Kalquor and Earth, there had been no Kalquorians on the planet or in orbit over Earth until after the explosions. How had they managed to enact such a monumental attack if they weren’t present?  
Shepherd Copeland finally explained. He confessed to having the military rig nuclear devices, which had been stockpiled them around the world, and set them to detonate if the enemy breached the vortex. He had done it, he said with tender sorrow, for the sake of their souls. For the sake of their bodies which would have been violated by the monsters. For the sake of their minds, which would have been poisoned with the aliens’ godless, debauched values. From what she could gather, he had said all this from the comfort and safety of a ship far away from Earth and the destruction he had wrought.   
How much was true? How much of what the Kalquorian Source was allowing to be broadcast was fact and how much was some sort of crazy propaganda? Had these vids been altered? Was the Imperial info resource reliable? She glanced at Tynevek, where he sat working. Images and numbers and words in Kalquorian shimmered in the air on the display before him. Had the aliens somehow cooked all this up, just to gain advantage over the Earthers? God knew Earth gov lied all the time. Were they lying still?  
Tynevek glanced up at her and paused. He studied her face and then nodded. “Yes, it would be wise of you to doubt, my scholar. I would if I were in your place.” He sat back in his chair. “We’re taking you to meet with other Earthers this evening, if you wish to go. You may ask them anything. You may ask us anything. But in the end, Susannah, it will still come down to you. You will have to decide if we can be trusted.”   
She bit her lip. His tone was so understanding. She thought again about what Linda had said, how the Kalquorians would have to be the best actors in the known universe, with a budget to rival the riches of several planets, not to mention vast personnel, to have staged all of this. She thought of the clan and their kindness and caring. She thought of Larsa and his men, fighting to protect her. She thought of Gok and his stuffed toys, of Admek and his fatherly gruffness. How could she believe they were all working to enslave Earth?  
“Don’t decide now.” Tynevek motioned to her. “Go walk around, love. You’ve been rooted to that spot for almost an hour. You need to stir your circulation.”  
“Oh. Yes, Imdiko.”   
She heard him sigh as she moved off. She looked over her shoulder to see him watching her ass sway with open longing on his face. She pressed her lips together, smothering her grin. Okay, he might be looking to enslave all of Earth, but she suspected he might be every bit as enslaved by his lust. His lust for her. She liked that notion. It made her excited. Whatever happened, perhaps they could at least declare a truce in the bedroom? She certainly hoped so.  
Denar and Kyrnis returned to quarters, their eyes lighting when they caught sight of Susannah in her birthday suit. Yep, lust was in the air.   
“How has she been?” Denar asked, coming to inspect his ward.   
“She’s been very sweet.” Tynevek gave her a sympathetic nod. “Her adorable ass is already healing. She’s been reviewing the news vids and stories of Armageddon.”  
“Ah. It’s hard to grasp, I know, Susannah. How are you taking all of it?”  
“I’m not sure. I think much of it has to be true. It would be a huge undertaking to create all this just as a sham. I think.”  
Denar nodded. “It would, but you’re right to be skeptical.”  
“I told her we were taking her to meet with other Earthers this evening.”  
“Good. We’ll take you to the Atrium, where much of the socializing takes place, and we will allow you to speak to them on your own. We will be watching our pretty ward, but we will not be listening in.”  
“Thank you.”  
“Now, show me that ass.”  
She sighed and turned. His big hand ran lightly over one cheek. “Still pink but no bruising. You heal quickly, sweetness.” He turned to his clan. “What do you think, my clan? She still needs the rest of her punishment, I think.”  
The rest?  
“I concur.” Tynevek’s voice was a little strained. “I’ve been looking at her lovely body all afternoon.”  
Susannah glared. He could have turned around or let her out of his sight. Or let her put on some clothes. One look at Denar prompted her to keep those thoughts to herself.   
“I say we’ve all been punished enough.” Kyrnis clapped his hands together. “I’m going to shower and then I intend to finish this lesson.”  
“You’ll have to be patient.” Denar checked his chrono. “We have only enough time to shower and have a quick evening meal before we are all to meet with Admek and then take Susannah to the Atrium.”  
Kyrnis’ look was thunderous for a moment. Then, he sighed. “All right.”  
Denar motioned to the Nobek. “Go. Tynevek, will you get food prepared? I’ll fetch Susannah’s clothing.” The men all headed to different areas.   
“What about me?”   
They all turned to look at her. All three of them groaned. Still, Denar stayed firm. “Stay there, Susannah. If you move, I won’t hesitate to spank you again.”  
They all turned and sped off. She tried sitting on the lounger and found it was tolerable, if she went gingerly and used an extra cushion. Her ankle was already fine. She heard Kyrnis running the shower, humming loudly. Denar rummaged in the sleeping room. Tynevek rattled pans and dishes in the kitchen. They were taking care of each other and taking care of her like she was one of them. Like they had when they had all been together in the storehouse. It felt good to be that way again.   
“If we weren’t pressed for time, Matara, I wouldn’t permit you to wear clothes during our meal, but that will have to wait for another time.” Denar handed her clothes to her and helped her stand. “Get dressed. When Kyrnis comes out, you may use the bath to freshen up.”  
She followed his orders and then returned to the living area. They gathered on cushions around a low table and the men took turns feeding her. The food was delicious but she couldn’t help noticing it seemed to be spiced with cinnamon. A glance around showed they were actually aroused by feeding her. She felt her own arousal begin to blossom, but all too soon the meal was over.   
They all helped with clean up before the clan escorted her out of their quarters to the offices of Dramok Doctor Admek. The doctor studied her with sharp eyes, his work punctuated by glares directed at each memeber of Clan Denar. He invited her to sit and she hesitated. Admek’s brows drew down.  
“Is something wrong, Matara?”  
“No, I—I just would prefer to stand, if you don’t mind, Doctor.”  
Denar raised his hand. “Before you go on, Admek, you need to know that we punished Susannah today. We spanked her.”  
Admek’s dark face reddened. “What?”  
“She ran from us when we were out in the field. She endangered herself and members of the team who came to get us out. There were Tragooms in the area, as well as Earther gangs. She was almost caught in a mine collapse.”  
Admek’s gaze now swung to Susannah. “Were these men threatening you that you ran from them?”  
She couldn’t lie. “No, Doctor. I—I was—I just wanted to run back to my home.”  
“Even though you knew it wasn’t safe? Even though you knew others were in danger?”  
She hung her head. “Yes, Doctor.”  
“You’re lucky it was just a spanking. These men must be quite taken with you.” Admek’s tone was crisp and businesslike. “All right. I need to check. With your permission, Dramok?”  
“But—”  
“‘But’ is right, Susannah.” Denar chuckled. “Show the doctor your ass.”  
Her face flamed but she obeyed, lowering her fleece pants just enough to reveal her cheeks to the doctor’s eyes. She waited as he carefully studied her, touched her once, then patted her shoulder. “You are in perfect shape, Matara. You will be healed by this time tomorrow. You may pull up your pants.”  
Admek performed one or two more quick tests, checked her ankle, and pronounced her once again in perfect shape. “You took good care of her, from what I can see from the report from Doctor Tynevek. Just be sure you continue to treat her with as much care. As your ward, she is a special case and you will be under scrutiny, all of you. That includes you, Matara.”  
With a final glower, he stalked out and the clan turned to Susannah. Denar stroked her hair. “You tried to protect us just then, didn’t you? You were afraid you would get us into trouble if you told the doctor we’d punished you.”  
“Maybe.” She looked up from under her lashes. “Maybe I was just embarrassed to be spanked like a child.”  
“Maybe both.” Denar smiled. “Let’s go. Evening meal is over for most people, so they will be moving into the Atrium.”

C8, S5  
Linda was seated in a chair, legs propped and covered, near the fireplace. She waved to Susannah as they approached.   
“Hi, you guys! I’m glad you could come in tonight, Susannah. This is where all the good gossip comes out.”   
Gok, who’d been standing nearby, snorted. “I’ll leave you, Matara. Just press the com if you need me.”  
Linda grinned at Susannah. “He thinks I’m much too interested in all the men around here. But honestly, can you blame me?”  
Susannah glanced up at the three men positioned behind her, then back to Linda. “No. I can’t wait to hear all about those men.”  
There was a low hiss and a growl from behind. “Matara, would you like to sit down?” Denar brought a hard wooden chair around and set it beside her.  
Evil man. “No, thank you. I’ll stand for a bit.”  
“Very well. We’ll be right over there.” Denar pointed to a spot about a yard away.   
Susannah wasn’t buying into that. Kalquorian hearing was almost as keen as their eyesight. “Oh, no,” she said sweetly, “you should go over there, by the wall where Larsa’s sitting. You can see me from there just fine.”  
Denar’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll be in plain sight, Matara.”  
“I know you will.” Oh, she’d better watch it or she’d be in trouble again. “Thank you.”  
The clan moved off and Linda giggled. “Boy, do they ever have it bad for you, lady. They looked like they didn’t even trust me around you.”  
“Well, I don’t think they liked the idea that we might be talking about the other men on the base.”  
“Oh, I see! Oh, then we need to be very good, don’t we? I hear they can be very strict, if you know what I mean.”  
Did she ever. “How are you doing?”  
“I’m not bad. More treatments but they say I’m coming along fast. Lord knows their meds seem to work way better and faster than ours. They have some technology I can’t even begin to fathom, and I worked as a nurse before all this fun began.”  
“All this fun. Right. Can I ask you a couple of questions?” She pulled over a soft-looking ottoman and lowered herself onto it. Gingerly.  
“Does it involve figuring out how Gok gets cuter every day?”  
“Talk about having it bad. Are you serious about him?”  
She sighed, then laughed. “Only sort of. I don’t know how I feel about the whole inter-species thing. And Gok’s an unclanned Imdiko. He’s being courted day and night by Dramoks and Nobeks. Gorgeous ones.”  
“He’s such a sweetie. He’d be a real catch, I bet.”  
“Yep. But he’s very old-fashioned or conservative or whatever. He won’t look at a female seriously before he’s clanned and, of course, rescue and evac guys aren’t allowed to fraternize with the evacuees. Plus, he has his own thing about it being a conflict while I’m under his care. It’s the same rule for all of them, usually. You are the subject of a lot of talk, you and your guardians.” Linda heaved another sigh. “Guess I’m just gonna have to wait and see once I’m better. Or hope to find someone else down the line.”  
“When I was...rescued, I was in a place where I didn’t get much news. I actually didn’t know about any explosions or bombs or anything. Can you tell me what happened?”  
“Bombs? No bombs, darlin’, except the ones that were buried under Tokyo and Beijing and Berlin...and all over the place. Any place with a lot of people all clustered together, that’s where Earth gov planted the nukes they claimed they got rid of years ago.”  
“You saw this happen?”  
Linda snorted. “If I saw it, I wouldn’t be here to tell about it. Only a handful of people made it out of those places alive. They think maybe nobody made it out of Moscow.”  
“But how do you know for sure what happened?”  
“Ah, the doubts you were talking about last night. You still think maybe it was all staged.”  
“I just don’t know what to think. I mean, everyone knew the Kalquorians wanted Earther females and that they’re the most ruthless fighters anywhere. They have amazing technology, you said it yourself.”  
Linda’s curls bobbed. “I was seeing the reports coming in from the first moment it happened. There was a lot of confusion, of course, but the vids I saw didn’t look doctored in any way. I had a friend who worked making propaganda for Earth and she showed me how to tell if a vid had been messed with. I didn’t see any of that on these. And from what I saw when I was out there with Tina, oh my god. We covered a lot of ground before our hover died. The effects are everywhere. I met a guy on the way who was checking the radiation levels. They’re sky-rocketing.”  
“What about—” Susannah lowered her voice “—what about Leader Copeland?”  
Her companion blinked. “Copeland? That son of a bitch?”  
“Uh, maybe?”   
“He admitted it all, honey. He wanted to ‘save us.’ Right. He saved his own ass, that was for sure. He had a ship ready and waiting long before the Kalquorians even found out about the breach. He skedaddled and then came on the com system weeping crocodile tears and wishing us all good luck and so long, suckers.”  
Linda was no longer the mischievous young woman with the crush on a cute medic. Everything about her had gone hard-edged and cold.   
“He murdered the entire planet, except for him and his chosen few. He’s the reason people have gone crazy. He did it all from his cushy little throne, then ran like a chicken. Copeland’s hands are drenched in blood, Susannah.”  
Susannah studied her hands in her lap. Everything Linda had said matched with what she’d been told and what she’d researched. But could it still all be a big hoax? Was there more to it?  
She glanced across the room where the clan stood with Larsa and his Imdiko. She believed in checking her facts. She’d also been trained to be skeptical about any second-hand or possibly tainted sources. In this case, though, she didn’t think there was any way she could prove that what she was seeing and hearing was false. There was no way she could go out into that mad world she’d glimpsed and interview unbiased sources. It was risky and it was ridiculous.   
As she had thought before, and as Tynevek had said, it came down to her. She looked at Denar, with his ramrod straight posture and broad shoulders. At Kyrnis, her big lion. At Tynevek, her sweet prince who was also a beast. She was almost sure…   
“Thanks for talking with me, Linda. Are you going to be okay?”  
Linda’s smile came out like sun from behind clouds. “I’m gonna be fine. Better than fine. I’ve got two months before they’ll clear me and then I’m getting my ass on a transport and getting off this rock. I don’t know yet where I’ll go, but I’m not sticking around on a dead planet.”  
That voice in her head, again: “You’re not going to be living down here, Susannah. You’re going to be dying here!” Damn Denar. God, she really did love him. Him and his clan. There was nothing fake about that.   
“I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later?”  
“Sure thing, hon. You can always find me through Gok!”  
Susannah headed toward the clan. All three came to attention at her approach. Larsa and his Imdiko, Claf, bowed to her. She greeted them and they quickly moved off to join some others playing a game across the room.   
She looked up at the clan’s faces. They were guarding their expressions. They didn’t want to press her. Or maybe they didn’t want to hear what she had to say.  
“I love you.”  
They all sagged. Denar spoke very quietly. “Truly, little one?”  
She nodded. “Is that all right?”  
Denar snickered. “Just let us maintain our professional demeanor until we get you to our quarters. Then we’ll show you how all right it is.”  
“We’re not allowed to make any public displays of affection in front of Earthers while on base. Even between ourselves. We don’t want to upset anyone.” Tynevek’s eyes were bright, though.  
“Let’s not forget we still have a punishment to administer.” Despite his words, Kyrnis’ eyes were going to get them all in trouble if they didn’t leave soon. His gaze was about to incinerate Susannah’s clothes off, right then and there. Her skin heated from two feet away.   
“Wait.” Denar raised his hand. “What about your doubts, Susannah? Are you satisfied with the evidence you’ve seen?”  
“Not one hundred percent. But I think I have enough to go on. I believe you’ve been telling me the truth as you know it.”  
“Good enough. We have others for you to speak to, but that can wait. Let’s go.”   
They walked out of the Atrium with what Susannah felt was great dignity and decorum. They didn’t touch her, they didn’t even guide her along with a touch. They nodded to people they passed, they walked with measured steps.   
Susannah wanted to run all the way back to their quarters. She had decided. Once and for all. She loved them and she was staying with them, no matter what. Yes, she wanted to know more, to be sure about what had happened, but damn, how she wanted them. Even if they couldn’t clan her right now. Being their ward was enough.  
They ushered her into the living area, closed the door, and formed a semi-circle around her, towering, arms crossed. She felt her mouth go dry as her heart sped up. Their dark looks were formidable. Still, she waited.   
“Clothes off, Susannah.”  
She carefully removed each item, smoothing them off her body and setting them aside. The scent of arousal was in the air but they didn’t soften their stance.   
“How’s that pretty ass?” Tynevek asked. “Show me, beauty.”  
She obediently turned and put her rear end on display for what seemed the umpteenth time that day. Tynevek stroked her softly. “We need to be gentle but I don’t think she’s in any danger.”  
“Very good. On your knees, Susannah.” Denar’s tone was absolute.   
She sank as gracefully as she could. She winced a little as her heels connected with her still-tender flesh, but the pain was small compared to the desire she was feeling.  
“Eyes down,” said Kyrnis. She obeyed, gazing at the carpet.   
Tynevek added his orders. “Hands on your thighs, palms up.”   
She positioned her hands and sat, head down, her hair falling around her face, curtaining her from their dark, dark eyes. She waited as silence filled the space, it seemed, and grew in density. They hadn’t moved, hadn’t spoken. She sat, waiting. Somehow, she knew she could endure that much.   
There was a slight rustle of movement, then came the soft, purring sound that she knew was the seam of a flightsuit coming apart. Someone—or all three?—was undressing. She felt a thrill of anticipation and excitement course straight to her center at the very idea.   
A finger lifted her chin. She looked up to see Denar staring down at her with hot intent. A glance to the sides revealed the others standing very close. All three had their suits open, their magnificent, rising cocks on fully display. She felt her pussy clench and then go soft and warm and wet.   
“Very well, little one. You will complete the rest of your punishment. You will serve us.”  
She clamped down on the urge to smile. Serve them? How was that a punishment? Just the sight of them, their powerful bodies ready and waiting for her ministrations was more like a gift.   
“You will take each of us in turns. You will do whatever we ask of you. Am I clear?”  
“Yes, Dramok.”  
“All right.” Denar bent and lifted her so she was off her heels, kneeling before him. With his legs spread, the position put her mouth exactly in line with his glistening, dark cocks. Susannah waited for instructions.   
“You will not speak unless told to speak. You will not move except to follow our orders. You will not touch yourself in any way and you may not climax without permission. You will do only what we say.” Denar wrapped a big hand around his larger cock, lifting it up. “Are you ready?”  
“Yes, Dramok.” God, was he ever going to allow her to touch him? It had been so long, far too long since they had last made love. She almost ached with desire for them.   
“Very well.”  
Susanna looked up at her three lovers and suddenly her heart soared. They were so gorgeous. So masculine. So amazing. More amazingly, they wanted her.   
Denar, of course, took charge. “Little ward, you will pleasure each of us. You will suck me, Susannah.”  
“Yes, Dramok.”  
She wrapped one hand around his primary cock and began to lick all around the head. He growled the next order. “Take Tynevek and Kyrnis in your hands. Pleasure them while you tend to me with your mouth.” He took her hand off of him and placed it on Tynevek’s gorgeous prick. She glanced up at the Imdiko. His eyes were closed, clearly savoring even her slightest touch.   
“All of us, Susannah. And I believe I said suck, not lick.”  
She reached for Kyrnis, wrapped him firmly, their eyes meeting. The big man raised his brows. She eased her hand up and down the stalk, his slick cock swelling in her grasp.   
Denar cleared his throat. She came to attention. She parted her lips and he thrust in, gently, but insistently. She closed her mouth around him, tasted his sweet, spicy essence, then whirled her tongue around his length, rubbing the vee at the head. His groan of pleasure made her own juices begin to flow.   
“I can smell her, my Imdiko.”   
“I can, too, my Nobek. Sweet and salty.”  
Denar seemed unable to do anything other than moan, deep in his chest. She reveled in the sound, the sound she drew out of him simply by giving him what she herself loved. This might be punishment for her, but he was deeply into the experience. She drew in her cheeks and suckled, hard. The shout burst out of him.  
“Enough. I’m not ready and your sweet mouth is too tempting. Take me in your hand, and pleasure our Imdiko with your mouth. Let me see him feed you his cock.”  
She turned her head and Tynevek was there, guiding his prick so it could slide into her waiting mouth. “Open wide, little love. I want to see myself on your tongue.”  
She dropped her jaw and Tynevek rubbed just the tip of his cock on her tongue. She sighed. The look on his handsome face was one of utter bliss. He slid in and out, going a little further each time. His great chest heaved as she felt his cock pulse with delight.   
“Suck me now, beauty. Take all of me.” His hand gently pressed under her chin as he moved closer, his cock going deeper, filling her almost until she couldn’t breathe. She focused on breathing through her nose, eager to take as much of him as she could. She wanted her beast to go wild with her.   
He pumped her a few times, then groaned and pulled out. “Our Nobek, now.”  
She turned the other way and was treated to Kyrnis’ amazing girth. She greedily licked up the pre-cum shining at the tip. His big hands wove their way into her hair and he gave way to his dominance, pulling her to him and thrusting deep, almost reaching the back of her throat on the first pass. He pulled back and gently rubbed the tip in and out between her lips. Then, back in, deep, far back, until she felt the head of his cock press the back of her throat. She managed a breath, then swallowed around him.   
His shout rang in the air and he pulled out. “You imp. If your ass wasn’t already sore, I’d redden it right here and now. You don’t get to take control.”  
She lowered her head, smiling secretly. “Yes, Nobek.”  
“Denar?” Kyrnis sounded a bit desperate.   
“Yes. I don’t think I can wait any longer. We’ve gone without you for days, Susannah.” Denar swung her up to carry her into the sleeping room. He motioned to Tynevek. “Lie down. Susannah, you will straddle him.”  
Tynevek wasted no time stripping, then settled his lean form on the sleeping mat and reached for her. Denar guided her up and over him, her knees on either side of his hips. Tynevek gathered her to his chest, cuddling and kissing her. Really, the man was sweetness personified.   
“Is punishment over?” she whispered.  
She got a swat from Denar. “I didn’t tell you to speak, ward.”  
She lowered her head, contrite. That swat had made her sore ass howl in pain.   
Denar smoothed a hand over her indignant flesh. He sighed. “Yes. Punishment is ended. But you will continue to please us and serve us because we are your masters in bed, always. Clan rules.”  
“Yes, Dramok.”   
She looked down at Tynevek and his beautiful smile spread at long last. He kissed her tenderly. “I’ve missed you,” he murmured against her hair. “Please don’t run from us again.”  
She lifted up and looked into his eyes. He really had been frightened for her. She felt another flash of guilt. “I won’t. I promise.”  
She felt big hands on her hips as Denar lifted her slightly. Tynevek grinned and positioned his cock at the entrance to her very wet and eager pussy. “Take me, Susannah. Take me deep.”  
She sank down on him, moaning with pure joy as he filled her. Hot, hard, living flesh stretched her, made a home within her body. She held still, quivering. If she wasn’t careful, she’d come in seconds flat. She agreed with Denar. It was too soon for this to end.   
“That’s what I love, beauty. Being so deep. Making you take me into that sweet, hot pussy.” He palmed a breast. “And how I’ve missed these. Lean in. Give me.”  
She leaned over, careful not to let him slip from within her and offered her breasts. She braced her hands on his shoulders as he licked first one nipple and then the other.   
“Tynevek! You’re killing us!”  
Tynevek took quick suck and set her back with a wicked smile. “I’m reserving a nice long session with those. Be ready.”  
“Can’t wait.” Her words came out breathless and hot. At least she wasn’t swatted for it this time. Still, she wasn’t about to push her luck.  
“All right, little one. Lie down on Tynevek.” Denar giving orders, of course.  
She went happily into Tynevek’s arms for more kissing and stroking. Something slipped up and down between her ass cheeks and she knew Denar was making her ready to take her ass. His fingers began the process, sliding and scissoring and rimming, widening her to accommodate him. She had an idea that made her both anxious and more excited. Kyrnis had told her about what they called laxan, where she would take the male’s larger cock in her ass. It was a daunting thought, as none of her guardians was small in that way. But it was too tantalizing to resist and she wanted to please them all. To enjoy being taken and controlled, even if it wasn’t comfortable all the time. She did her best to relax and make herself open to him. She was eager to feel full of their cocks, full of her men, yet it had been a while since she had had any of them in that way.   
Denar finished his ministrations, pressing a kiss on one of her heated butt-cheeks. “All right. I think you’re ready. I’ll go slowly and I’ll be very careful with your poor, beaten-on little ass, Susannah.”   
Ha-ha. But he was true to his word. He eased the head of his big prick to her tight entrance and gently rocked the tip, in and out, pressing a little bit at a time. She could have told him her it was her ass that hurt, not her asshole, but her mouth was full of Tynevek’s plundering tongue. She let it pass and sighed her way to deeper relaxation. It was as if she had been bitten, she was so willing to submit to their desires.  
“By the ancients, you feel good, little one.” Denar gave a final push and slipped deep, deep inside. It was a stretch and then some. The discomfort was enough to make her pause, panting for breath in the wake of his huge invasion.   
“Susannah. You will tell us if it’s too much. Do you wish to stop?” Denar’s voice was as commanding as ever, but she heard the undercurrent of excitement in it, almost as if he was straining not to come with the sheer, sudden possession of her ass.   
“I’ll be fine. I want to go on, Denar.” She recalled her orders. “Please, sir.”  
“Very good. You remembered that you are not in charge here, even in giving us what we want.”   
“Yes, sir.”  
She was already beginning to relax. Despite the discomfort, she began to feel new sensations, quick signals from places she didn’t know could be so sensitive. Laxan wasn’t fun, exactly, but she was anxious to see what came next.   
She wanted to wiggle back, take as much of Denar’s larger cock as she could, get as close as she could, but she knew he wouldn’t permit her to have control. Feeling him and Tynevek filling her her this way had changed from a new test to a wonder. Lightning sparks tingled from her head to her toes, already urging her body into a peak. It had been too long. How could she hold out against this onslaught of sexual urgency?  
“Hello, my Imdiko.” She heard the smile in Denar’s voice. “Susannah is bliss but you feel good, too.” He rocked a little and she realized Denar could feel Tynevek’s cock against his, separated by a thin wall of her inner flesh.   
Tynevek hummed with joy and answered Denar’s motions with his own. She closed her eyes, smiling. It was a delight to have them share her, connecting with each other even as they took her. The intimacy of it was stronger than any she’d ever known.  
“Open, little one.”   
Kyrnis knelt before her, both cocks in one hand, lifting her up with the other. She shivered as she came up on her hands, bracing herself on Tynevek’s chest, careful not to lose the other two now that they were settled so thrillingly within her. The Nobek was asking her to take both cocks. She opened eagerly, taking as much as she could manage, her tongue twirling, diving into the hole where his pre-cum seeped, a reward for her acceptance. His taste was sweet-savory and spicy; delicious. She felt his big body shudder as she lavished attention on every place she could reach.  
Now Denar began to push forward, going deep, sending her down onto his Imdiko. He pulled back and Tynevek surged up, up into her pussy, his cock finding that most sensitive spot inside her even as he rubbed against Denar’s cock nestled so near his own. He withdrew, Denar slid in, forcing her clit to grind against Tynevek’s groin. She moaned. It was all too good. It was all so right. She needed them so much. She knew it now. She had made the right choice to come with them. She couldn’t give this up. Couldn’t give them up. Not yet.  
Kyrnis pulled back and she whimpered her loss. He was back at once, feeding her just his larger cock, holding her temples, keeping her still as he forged his way deep, deep inside her welcoming mouth. Coherent thought was lost in the wonder of this sharing, this intense communion of their bodies and spirits. Three of them at once. All of them together, with her. She gasped as a wave of pleasure rippled from her head to her toes. This was heaven, to be shared by these men. To be bonded with them in this way.  
Her body was drawing up, drawing in, grasping at the delightful intrusions that were electrifying and enchanting and exciting her. She was climbing, her pussy desperate to keep Tynevek within, even as Denar pulled her ass back onto his cock, making her cry out with the strange, hot sensation. Then he was shoving her forward, making her take Tynevek again, making her take Kyrnis, too.  
“Oh, sweet girl. It’s such pleasure for us to fuck you this way.” Denar reached one hand around and filled it with a breast, kneading and petting. He pinched a nipple and she clenched down on both Denar and Tynevek, sobbing at the ecstasy building within. “Tynevek, Kyrnis,” he husked, “I can’t hold off much longer. She’s so fucking hot and tight.”  
One of Tynevek’s clever hands stole down between them and found her clit with uncanny accuracy. He stroked, rubbed, and she moaned and twisted in his grasp. Then, before she could process any of it, he pinched, hard.   
She came, screaming around Kyrnis’ cock, setting off his rich, copious climax. She didn’t even think, just took his offering, swallowing in the midst of her own crisis. He withdrew as Denar went over next, a roar shaking the ceiling as he shoved hard and released into the depths of her ass. He was just finishing when Tynevek, naughty Imdiko, pinched her poor clit once more and she went off again, thrusting against him, her whole body whipped by the winds of climax. She felt her body taken from her, melted, flung to the stars, then begin to come apart. Tynevek closed his eyes, cried out, and then he was with her, throbbing and pulsing in her pussy, filling her to the brim with cum, traveling with her to the stars. Finally, they collapsed, she on Tynevek, Denar on top of her. Kyrnis joined the pile and they all lay, breathing stormily, holding each other tightly as their hearts pounded in rhythm together.   
“Oof,” she had to say at last. “Guys. Pancake time.”  
Kyrnis and Denar slid away, pressing kisses anywhere they could reach. Tynevek smiled up at her, his face a mask of bliss. She grinned. “It’s so good to be home.”  
Kyrnis brought warm cloths and they took turns, taking outrageous liberties as they gently cleaned her, then themselves. Tynevek fetched some lotion and had himself a wonderful time smoothing it over her still-roasted ass. Lying there, she was more relaxed than she could ever remember. More peace was added to the relief she’d experienced when they’d spanked her. More peace had come with her choice to surrender to this loving. She was dozing in the blissful heat of their bodies surrounding her when she heard Kyrnis ask in a none-too-quiet whisper, “How long before we can have her again?”  
The other two swatted him. She giggled. She reached out and tugged on a lock of Kyrnis’ hair. “Come and get me, big one.”  
How could he possibly be hard again after the way he’d just come? How could she be heating and softening, ready for him after the way she’d just come?  
It didn’t matter, she thought as she welcomed his big, warm body into hers. It simply…was.   
Tynevek took her again deep in the night, and she woke to find Denar already deep in her cunt at morning light. She was a rag when he’d finished making her come twice, but the others had slipped away while they had played and soon trooped in with a delicious-smelling breakfast tray. Things were back in balance. It was a new day.


	9. Chapter 9

ALIEN RESCUE—Fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER NINE

C9, S1  
As they fed her, Denar told her about their schedule. “I’m off rotation today, so I’ll be able to take you around to your appointments.”  
“Appointments? I made appointments?” She batted her lashes at him, wide-eyed.  
“They were made for you, brat.” He gave her nipple a pinch. “Behave or I’ll make you attend them just as you are now.”  
“You would not.”  
“I don’t know. Think of how delicious she smells, my Dramok. Like she showered in sex.” Kyrnis licked her neck and she curled into herself at the sharp, exciting sensation.   
“Oh, that would be bad, Denar.” Tynevek frowned. “I don’t want others catching her sweet scent. That’s only for us. See that she showers with soap and water before you go out.”  
“You’re right.” Denar eyed her with mock asperity. “You may keep your clothing and you may shower. But as soon as we get back here, you will strip again. I haven’t had nearly enough of seeing you naked.”  
“And I have to go walk the perimeter.” Kyrnis scowled at his clanmate. “Don’t you wear her out. I’ll be hungry when I get home.”  
“I will be starving,” Tynevek put in.   
The others left and Susannah was a little surprised that Denar allowed her to shower alone. He was waiting when she stepped out of the drying unit, though, and without a word, he sank to his knees and spread her legs. He plundered her with his tongue to devastating effect and her cries rang around the room.   
“No time to do more, sweetness,” he said with regret when she was finished and he held her close. “We have to see the commander in less than fifteen minutes.”  
Commander? Oh, god, what now?  
The command center for the the base was set up in one of the smaller conference rooms. A pair of ferocious-looking Nobek guards stood at the doors but they bowed to Susannah and checked their tablets to confirm her identity and schedule. Denar guided her inside, where several desks had been arranged in an arc, facing a large vid screen that showed what looked like feed from security monitors out on the property and indoors. Denar came to stand at attention before a stocky Kalquorian with a short, slightly graying goatee. He rose from his chair and bowed to Susannah, then accepted Denar’s salute.   
“Welcome, Matara Susannah. Be at ease, Captain.” His voice was deep and gruff, somehow making Susannah think of a stiff-bristled brush. “I am Commander Kwess, head of Rescue and Evacuation Base Delta. I’m glad to see you looking so well. I trust you have been seen by medical?”  
“I have.”  
“Please sit, Matara. Join us, Captain Denar.”   
Denar pulled two chairs nearer to the commander’s desk and saw Susannah seated with a gentle hold on her arm as she gingerly lowered herself down. She looked up to see a very wicked light in the backs of his eyes. Evil Dramok. However, if Commander Kwess saw anything in their exchange, he hid it well.  
“I understand Denar and his clan took the unusual step of naming you as their ward, Matara.” Kwess regarded her shrewdly. “You were together in your underground facility for quite a while. Does this step agree with you, Matara? You should know that all members of Clan Denar have been closely questioned about their relations with you. They admit they broke protocol for our rescue teams. Do you feel they were abusing their position and power when the four of you became intimate?”  
“No! Not at all. In fact—” She lowered her flushed face. “In fact, I was the initiator and I was happy to enter into a relationship with them all.”  
“You are certain, Matara? You understand that I must make sure that you did not feel trapped or coerced in any way?”  
“I am certain, Commander.” She did not look at Denar, but met Kwess’ gaze directly. “I care for them and I believe they care for me.”   
The older man studied her closely. “Being made a ward of a guardian clan is an unusual event, Matara. There’s only been one other for all the Rescue Teams on Earth so far, and that was in far different circumstances. Not everyone is happy with this arrangement. If you are unwilling to continue as a ward to Clan Denar, you may say so now—or at any time—and we will see that you are provided with new quarters. One of our attendants will be assigned to you. No one will fault you if that is what you choose.”  
Susannah now glanced at Denar. His face was completely still, impassive. He wasn’t going to influence her. Bless him. She nodded to the commander. “I am willing to continue as ward of Clan Denar, sir.”  
“Very well. We’ll take that as the rule for the next three weeks. We understand that the decision even to come to the refugee center was not an easy one. It often is not for many of the Earthers who have passed through here. I’m pleased Denar and his team proved worthy of your trust.”  
“Thank you, sir. I do trust them.”  
“So, there will be a series of appointments for you so that you can make an informed decision about your future. A liaison has been assigned to you and you will meet him a number of times to discuss everything you need to know and do. We want you to know, without doubt, that we will not force you to do anything against your will, Matara.”  
She resisted looking at the Dramok seated next to her. He might not force, her per se, but when he wanted something, he was going to be as persuasive as he could manage. What might that “persuasion” entail, she wondered?  
Don’t be naughty, she told herself. Focus.  
“I appreciate that, Commander. I was isolated for a long time before the team found me. And I was never part of Earth society, so I do not have the same values and opinions of many others, as far as I know. I did not even know about the end of the war until I met Dramok Denar’s clan.”  
“So I read in your clan’s reports. Given your isolation, I am guessing that you wish to learn more about the incidents that brought all this about?”  
“Yes, sir. I—I am almost convinced by what I’ve read on the Source, and seen, but if there is more that I can do, more data I can access—“  
“We’ve arranged for you to meet any and all Mataras and even some Earther males on base, as long as they themselves are willing to meet you and all abide by our rules. We are prepared to offer you records and vids. Also, at your Nobek’s request, we’ve slated a flight for you.”  
“Flight?”  
“When we can spare a shuttle, we will take you up and do a flyover of this sector. We cannot allow you to touch down, for safety reasons, and at any moment the shuttle might be recalled to duty. Barring those things, you are to be shown as much of the area as you wish to see. It is our one hope to see you reassured and informed.”  
She looked to Denar. “Kyrnis arranged this?”  
“He did. We all agreed it was a good idea.” He gave her a small smile. “It was the least we could do, to provide data for our scholar.”  
Kwess tapped the desktop. “You are also slated to join other newcomers at one of the regular informational seminars we present about the various places you might wish to choose as your resettlement location. Again, we won’t insist, but we strongly encourage you to attend. Given your background,” he gave her a small smile, “I imagine you want to learn all you can.”  
“Thank you. I look forward to it.”   
“Well, my little talk here was more of a formality but I hope you will feel free to contact me if there is anything I can do to make your transition more comfortable. Your attendants and liaisons will do far more when you meet with them.”  
She and Denar rose and Kwess once more bowed to Susannah. “Matara. A pleasure. Captain, she is in your keeping. See that you do nothing to make us regret allowing your clan this unusual privilege.”  
“I understand, sir.”  
They made their goodbyes and then Denar took her out to the main corridor, where Tynevek waited.   
Tynevek’s eyes lighted up when he saw them and Susannah couldn’t help but beam back. She’d had friends and her parents in the storehouse, but she couldn’t recall anyone ever looking so pleased to simply see her. It seemed to turn her insides to butter. Was that healthy?  
“My turn to escort you, little one. Did everything go well with Kwess?”  
“He was very nice.”  
“He is a good man. He was chosen to be executive commander of the base because he has considerable skills in dealing with people of all kinds.”  
Susannah peeked in the small windows that allowed a view into the various meeting room/offices along the corridor. “This is a huge operation, isn’t it? And this is Delta base. There are three other refugee camps?”  
“Many more than that. We ran out of letters in your Greek alphabet and have begun naming bases by number. Our mission is to reach as many people as possible within the next year. It’s already pushing the envelope of safety from radiation but we think we can contain it or resist it for that long.”  
“You’ve done all this for Earthers?”  
Tynevek nodded. “It is the least we can do.”  
Denar left them for his shift and she and the Imdiko went on to her next appointment, which was with her liaison. He was a sweet-faced, rather boyish-looking Imdiko named Neneer. On his tablet, he had a list of tour sites and activities he wanted to show Susannah. He looked a little confused when Tynevek joined them.   
“Matara Susannah is my clan’s ward,” the doctor Imdiko explained. “She is a special Matara and this is a special case. She is never to be without one of my clan.”  
Neneer looked distressed. “Ward? Not clanned? But…Matara, this is what you wish?”  
Tynevek bristled but Susannah laid a hand on his arm. “It’s all right. I understand that being a ward is a fairly new thing. But I’m more than happy to be under the care of Clan Denar.”  
“Clan Denar? Dramok Denar is your—er—guardian?”  
“Denar, and Imdiko Tynevek and Nobek Kyrnis, yes.”  
There was a wistful look in Imdiko Neneer’s eyes, then his gaze met Tynevek’s. Her Imdiko’s face had grown dark and his mouth was set in a hard line. He’d moved closer and put a hand on her shoulder. Possessive? Or just protective? “Is there a problem, Imdiko?” Tynevek purred, sounding remarkably like his Dramok.   
The other man colored up and immediately directed his eyes to his tablet. “No, not at all. I want to show you some of the facilities and training areas in the recreation center, Matara. After that, I will introduce you to your counselor.”  
Good Lord. There was a small army set up just to take care of her, it seemed. Was it like this for all the refugees? She was seeing more people today than she had in years!  
Tynevek placed himself between her and Neneer as they walked. She never thought she would feel the need for protection but today, with so much going on, she cherished the presence of her familiar guardians.   
They toured the recreation center, which had a pool and exercise equipment, though it was not as large as the one in the storehouse. Neneer kept up a cheerful commentary and they moved from the rec center to the dining halls and then to the small offices where the counselors, attendants, and liaisons had cubicles. Her personal counsellor was to be Dramok Thantazar. The psychologist was busy with a com and waved to them to take seats in his crowded little work space.   
Neneer took his leave with a deep bow to Susannah. He gave another measuring look at Tynevek who emitted a soft growl. The other man gulped and fled.   
She leaned toward Tynevek, brows raised. “What was that all about?”   
Tynevek hesitated, scowling. Then, he shrugged. “Neneer seems to covet everything about my clan. That includes my Dramok, most especially. I gather they knew each other once upon a time.” He positively glowered. “Now, it seems he covets our ward.”  
“Oh, I didn’t see that. He did go kind of dreamy-eyed at the mention of Denar’s name, though.”  
“Lucky for him he didn’t go dreamy-eyed around Kyrnis. The man would find one or two of his most precious body parts needing immediate medical attention and I would be forced to provide medical attention to Neneer’s unworthy carcass.”  
“Kyrnis would do that? Just because some other guy looked at Denar?”  
“It is beneath contempt to poach another man’s clanmate. We are possessive, Susannah. Even as an Imdiko, I guard what is mine. What’s more, the bonds of clan are sacrosanct and have been since Crown Prince Dramok Shev formed the first clan, long ago. You trespass on those rules at your peril. Neneer should also have asked my permission to speak directly to you before we began.”  
“Even thought I am your ward, not your clanmate?”  
“My ward is mine to protect.”  
She saw the cold glint in his eyes and knew he wasn’t just blowing smoke. If Neneer had gone any further, her gentle lover would likely have made use of his acrobatic fighting skills to provide a lesson in boundaries to the younger Imdiko. It gave her a quick shiver. Was that what it was like to be a clanned Matara?  
“Are you all right with Neneer being my liaison?”   
Tynevek blew out a breath and seemed to come to himself. “He’s reputed to be very good at his job. One of the best we have. But I do wonder—never mind.”  
Dramok Doctor Thantazar joined them then, and he did look to Tynevek for permission to address her. He was as serious and clear as Denar but with an extra warmth that made her wonder if perhaps he was one of those mixed-breed Kalquorians Linda had told her about. A fascinating phenomenon. How had that come about? What genetic orientations or mutations had to hap—  
Tynevek nudged her. “Return to us, Matara.” His eyes crinkled with amusement.   
She blushed and apologized to Thantazar. “Go on, please.”  
“I have materials for you to go over. You may take them with you back to your quarters. You may ask your clan to answer any questions you have. Doctor Tynevek knows what sort of information we’re looking for and he’s very capable of guiding you through it. You can also access information through the Source database. Then, at our next meeting, you and I can go over your responses.” He looked straight at Tynevek. “You and your clanmates will not be permitted to be with her for those first one or two meetings, Doctor. As you know. But you can wait for her, of course.”  
Tynevek nodded though he didn’t look happy. “I understand.”  
“I hope you know I would never do anything that would harm Matara Susannah. Nor would I do anything that would undermine either your authority as her guardian clan, nor her affections for you.” He smiled at Susannah. “And she obviously does have feelings for you.”  
She was surprised that he could tell such a thing after spending so little time with her, but she guessed that was what counsellors were trained to do: see what lay in people’s hearts. She liked the way he’d reassured her as well as Tynevek. She was beginning to see what the nature of clan life was like and the rules that went with it. Rules that fostered respect in their society.   
Her final appointment was a short consultation with the nutritionist in the medical unit. She was asked about allergies and dietary needs and preferences. The Imdiko in charge of nutrition for the Earthers was very glad to include Tynevek, especially when he realized, with wide-eyed wonder, that Susannah was in his legal care. He and Tynevek also exchanged doctor-notes about the state of her body in more detail than Susannah thought would be necessary just for nutrition. The advisor transferred lists of recipes, menus, and food lists into the com system of their quarters. He also told Susannah all about the three dining venues on base—nothing fancy but she could dine there or order from them whenever she wished.   
As Susannah walked back to quarters with Tynevek, she was very quiet. He gave her an anxious look.   
“I’m fine. Just tired.” He frowned and she went on to explain. “Not physically tired, really, but, well, it’s hard work to see and talk to so many people. I’m not accustomed to it.” She smiled. “I can handle three, though.”  
He touched her arm, quickly. “Good. Because there is no chance that we’re leaving you alone tonight. Still, when we get back to quarters, if you would like, why don’t you lie down in the sleeping room? I’ll be working and preparing midday meal. I’ll leave you to recover.”  
She felt a little selfish but she knew she had reached her limit. She wanted to be fresh when the clan gathered that evening. She went and laid down and found a reading source created for the Mataras that held several old Earther romances. She settled in and did “comfort” reading until she felt less jangled and more ready to be social again.   
The next few days were filled with activities. Exercise, orientations to the base and its rules, health checks, counseling with Thantazar, “shopping” in the base’s supply rooms for some clothing and personal needs. Denar whispered in her ear that she didn’t need many clothes as she would be naked most of the time they were in quarters. She laughed, then caught the very serious, hot glint in his eyes. Heat flashed through her just at the thought.   
She met with Neneer again, this time to review her options when her status as a ward elapsed. The liaison didn’t give her any assessing looks this time, but then, she was escorted by Kyrnis, who folded his arms across his massive chest and watched the Imdiko with a cool, implacable stare. Neneer also remembered to seek Kyrnis’ permission before speaking to her.  
That evening, Susannah took more alone time. She perused the notes Neneer had given to her. She had several options. The first was most obvious: she could go to Kalquor on the next transport. Neneer provided her with vids of all the accommodations already provided for the Earthers there. Her other choices included being taken to an Earther colony on another world, or being taken to a Kalquorian colony that welcomed Earthers. Neneer had vids of those, too. She could also, he assured her, refuse all the options and remain on Earth but he didn’t advise it.   
“Nor,” he stated, “would your guardian clan advise it, I’m sure. The toxicity levels increase daily. You would have to leave eventually.”  
He did not mention the option of going to Kalquor with Clan Denar. Probably because it had never come up before in his training.   
She sat on her bed and contemplated the array on the tablet she’d been loaned. She still wasn’t sure she had all the evidence she needed to make this choice. The clan, however, had already anticipated her need. Kyrnis spoke as they finished evening meal.   
“We have permission to fly tomorrow, Susannah, if you wish to.”  
“Fly?”  
“It has taken some time, but we’ve been granted special permission to go up in an off-duty shuttle. It will do a flyover of many areas in this sector. We are not permitted to fly you near the epicenters but we may reach a city’s outskirts so you can see what’s below.”  
“We’re also not permitted to land.” Tynevek fed her a bit of crunchy vegetable. “We cannot put you at risk in that way. Also, we have to be prepared to cut the trip short if the shuttle is called out for a rescue.”  
“Do other Earthers ask to be flown out over the region?”  
“No.” Denar gave her a ghost of a smile. “You are a special case, in almost all respects. Virtually all the Earthers who come to the base have seen or experienced the bombs and their aftermath. They know what is out there. We explained that you need more proof of Armageddon.”  
“Oh.” She wasn’t sure what to feel. It seemed a lot of expense and trouble to provide one person with information. Yet, she still needed to be sure before she could make a choice. “All right. Thank you.”   
She looked around at them. They were so eager to please her, to make her comfortable. What could she do for them?  
She had an idea. She rose from her cushion and walked toward the sleeping room, stripping off items of clothing and dropping them in her wake.   
They were on her before she reached the sleeping room door.

C9, S2  
In the morning, Kyrnis and Tynevek went with her to the shuttle bay. Denar had to be on duty. He’d kissed her soundly on lips that were still a little swollen from the previous night’s exertions.  
“Behave, Susannah. Do everything Kyrnis and Tynevek ask of you, and obey your pilot, absolutely, understood?”  
She nodded and with a surreptitious pat on her still somewhat tender behind, the Dramok swung off to his shift with a decided spring in his step. She’d encouraged him to do some very naughty things to her last night and he looked well-satisfied.   
“Time to board, little one.”   
Kyrnis helped her up the gangway and they were seated in the small area behind the cockpit. He swiveled her seat so it faced an outer wall, then fastened her in securely. The pilot, a Nobek named Serr, took the ship out with a smooth, practiced sweep, and then turned on the viewer-window that reached across most of the wall in front of Susannah. She watched as the base fell away beneath them and they moved off toward the perimeter.   
She saw two men conferring just outside the Base Entry 15. She could only see one man’s face but she knew it at once—Neneer. The other was a tall man who pointed his finger at Neneer in a way that looked threatening. Then, the shuttle veered and went over the fence and the pair were lost to sight. There was no time to think about Neneer, even if she’d wanted.  
But what sights lay before her! Nothing she had seen on the Source vids had prepared her for these. She stared down at the areas she’d glimpsed on the way in, with the barriers and graffiti and wrecked vehicles. A small contingent of Kalquorians were jogging down a lane, heading toward a ruined neighborhood in the small town. They flew on, and she saw that the glimpses she’d had were nothing compared to what lay beyond.   
“Oh. Oh, god.”  
Tynevek took her hand. “Is it too much?”  
She shook her head. She could take it. She needed to know. Still, the sights below twisted her heart.   
It was a nightmare. She could never have imagined these things and she knew no one could have staged them. Ruined buildings, burnt out city centers, farms overtaken by armed vehicles. Roads that were suddenly barricaded and sentry posts mounted beside them, where Earthers with weapons stood guard. She saw furtive bands of people scurrying for cover as they flew over, obviously still fearful of the aliens. Other groups brandished weapons at them and screamed, so that Serr had to swerve and go up to avoid being shot at from the ground. Savage rage lit the faces of the shooters.   
Kyrnis put his hand on her shoulder. “There are enclaves ahead. People who have banded together. Some are simply hoping to survive. Others gather in hopes of attacking our bases.”  
“There are one or two groups who have set up as field hospitals and emergency medical centers,” Tynevek said. “They are working against great odds. There is one, now.”  
An old barn showed a large red cross painted on its roof and its sides. There were a couple of old, roller-style emergency transport vehicles parked outside. The whole place was ringed in razor wire, and patrolled by armed guards. She understood. The people inside couldn’t help anyone if they were attacked.   
Serr flew on. Susannah had no idea where they were: she’d never been here and knew only vague images from maps.   
“We can make Chicago in twenty clicks,” the pilot reported.   
“Not too close.” Tynevek squeezed Susannah’s hand. “There are still toxic fires burning and some of the most vicious gangs roam that area. We can’t take chances.”  
“I understand.”  
But she didn’t. Not really. Oh, she understood the danger, but she couldn’t get her mind to fathom what she was seeing. How could this happen? What sort of madness had seized her world that things could have descended into chaos and rage?   
She looked up into Tynevek’s face. He seemed to be warring with both grief and anger. She looked to Kyrnis. The Nobek looked coldly furious.   
“What?” she asked, her voice very small.   
Tynevek softened. “Precious girl, we’d like to spare you such ugliness. But we understand you need to see the truth for yourself.”  
Kyrnis nodded to the view outside. “It gets worse. We may not be able to convince you of our guilt or innocence in all this, but I hope you see that the destruction is very real.”  
“Rad levels rising.” Serr glanced over his shoulder. “The closer we get to the ruins, the higher the readings.” He tapped a gauge that was pulsing from yellow to blue.  
Susannah knew about the great towers of the city of Chicago. As pollution had increased, the people had built higher and higher. The wealthy lived above the clouds. The poor inhabited the lower levels and traversed the fetid waters of the river that ran through it.   
There were no towers in sight today. No boats or monuments. Nothing but ash and rubble as far as she could see.   
“The blasts here were almost as strong as in Moscow,” Kyrnis reported. “The fires and the panic complicated everything.”  
“That is Chicago? Really?” She’d seen many vids in the storehouse. It had been a great city.  
“All that’s left.” Tynevek spoke softly. “Millions of lives lost.”  
She shivered. This was unremitting horror.   
A beep from the cockpit had Serr snapping back to his work. He answered the com and spoke rapidly in Kalquorian. He broke the connection and swung the shuttle about.   
“There’s a situation just to the north of here. People are trapped in an abandoned depot. Gangs have them pinned down and are firing, making ready to go in. Our people are on their way, but we’ll transport survivors.”  
“Go.” Kyrnis double-checked Susannah’s security belt, then dashed to a cupboard at the back of the shuttle. He removed a blaster, powered it up, and stood behind Serr, watching their approach.   
They reached the depot within minutes. Serr kept the shuttle back, out of range, but even from that distance, they could see the fight. Blaster fire shimmered in the air as the attackers shot at the depot from behind old vehicles and other makeshift barriers. Kyrnis got a signal on his com, calmly grabbed a pack and his blaster, and when Serr dropped closer, parachuted out of the shuttle. He was up and on the run in a flash, joining another group of Kalquorians who were advancing on the attackers. She looked to Tynevek but the Imdiko’s expression was placid.   
“This is what he is trained to do, Matara. There is no other like our Nobek.” He nodded toward the depot as they rose once more. “I need to be ready as well. There are bound to be casualties.”  
There was only a few minutes of fighting, but the aftermath was chaos, too. The rescuers had to talk the people out of the depot, and Susannah feared those people would fire on the Kalquorians as well. Serr touched down to allow Tynevek to dash to help, while he pulled off to wait some distance away. “We will need to be transport for troops and for victims,” he told her. “Sorry we have to cut short your tour.”  
“No matter. I saw enough.”  
Several of the injured, Kalquorian and Earther, were loaded onto the shuttle. Tynevek came last, dashing alongside a hover-stretcher carrying a little girl. The instant she was on board, he went to work, quietly speaking to the frightened child and reassuring her mother. Serr had them all up and out in a twinkling.   
Back at base, the shuttle was mobbed with Kalquorians, it seemed, all of whom seemed to proceed with practiced skill and grace. Susannah was impressed by their professionalism and patience with the frazzled, sometimes hostile Earthers. She hung back to let everyone off the shuttle. Denar vaulted up into the vehicle. He grabbed her up and gave her a once over, then a bone-compressing hug.   
“Good work, Serr. It sounded like that was a real clusterfuck out there.”  
The giant pilot grinned and shrugged. “What’s a picnic without a few wasps?”  
Denar glanced around. “I saw Tynevek. Where’s my Nobek?”  
“He got dropped off,” Susannah reported. “He helped with the rescue. I’m not sure where he is right now.”  
“Well, he’s been wanting some more exercise.” Denar chuckled at her gasp. “He will be fine.  
When Kyrnis and Tynevek came in, she was waiting, naked, with drinks and a warm plate of food for the Imdiko. He blinked at the plate, set it down on the table and swept her into his arms. He carried her to the lounger and settled in with her on his lap, hugging her tightly, his face buried in her neck.  
She wrapped her arms around him, smoothing his hair and letting him calm himself with her. Tynevek needed her and she in turn was soothed by her ability to fulfill that need. Around her, she heard Denar moving quietly. Kyrnis might have been moving, but he was so silent she wouldn’t have heard him if he’d been right beside her. She did hear the Nobek heave a faint sigh as he sank into a seating cushion.   
At long last, Tynevek lifted his head, kissing her eyes, nose, forehead, then, finally her lips. She drank in the salty sweetness of his kiss and felt herself stir with desire. But though the Imdiko’s cocks were warming and filling beneath her, he simply breathed deeply and looked up at his clanmates.   
“Everything is all right?” Denar sounded calm but careful.  
“Yes.”  
Kyrnis snorted. “The girl’s parents and older brother were riding him almost every step of the way.”  
“While he was performing surgery? Where was security?” Denar’s growl was deep and threatening. “Her family should not have been allowed near him while he was working.”  
“Security was there, but the family kicked up such a fuss Captain Ansellis agreed to let them observe as long as they didn’t interfere.”  
Susannah shifted on Tynevek’s lap so she could see the Dramok. As she expected, Denar’s face was darkening like an oncoming storm. No one threatened his clanmates.  
“That’s dangerous and reprehensible. Distracting a physician while he’s tending a patient? What was Ansellis thinking?”  
“The father evidently has a position of power in this area. He threatened to call down other Earthers if he was barred from seeing his daughter. Our Chief Mate in charge of security had to make the best call he could manage.”  
“Mother of All.”   
“It is all right, Denar.” Tynevek spoke wearily. “The girl came through, she’s in Admek’s care now, and I’m home at last. What is the saying, my scholar? No harm, no foul?” He kissed Susannah’s cheek.   
Denar wasn’t going to be put off. “They put you in harm’s way, my Imdiko. Kyrnis, you should have commed me.”  
Kyrnis nodded in the face of Denar’s wrath. “I was on the verge when the girl started to rally. The family calmed down and permitted Tynevek’s team to finish.” He gave Denar a sharp look. “Even so, it wasn’t something I couldn’t have handled.”  
“Except you were just injured!”  
Susannah heard the slightest note of desperation in Denar’s words. He’d been even more worried than he had let her see. He’d been on edge for the past few days. Today’s events seemed to have gotten on his last nerve. She seized an idea and ran with it.   
“Tynevek, you need to eat.” She slid from Tynevek’s lap and fetched his plate. “Kyrnis, you need to rest your shoulder.” She kissed Kyrnis and turned to Denar, meeting his gaze, then lowering her chin to peer up at him from beneath her lashes. “Denar, I need your help. Some of these forms for my counselors are confusing. I think something got lost in translation.”  
The Dramok stared at her in puzzlement for an instant, then barked a laugh. He shook a finger at her. “Your bossiness and brattiness will get you disciplined again, little one.”  
“I understand, Dramok.” She clasped her hands in front of her, trying to look demure. To tell the truth, her pussy clenched at the very word, discipline. Oh, that was bad. Wasn’t it?  
“Are you telling the truth about those forms, Susannah?”  
She looked up and nodded. “I really am.” It was true, though she was sure she could have figured them out in time.   
The tense mood was broken. Susannah got her tablet and sat down with Denar at the dining table. Tynevek joined them while he ate. Kyrnis relaxed on the lounger with a glass of bohut.   
Denar worked with her for a bit, then looked around at his clan. He motioned for Kyrnis to join them at the table. Susannah gulped at the blade-like intensity of Denar’s eyes as they gathered, looking expectantly at their leader.   
“As I said, I have something important to discuss. I’ve reached a decision. I want us to leave for home as soon as possible.”  
“It was one bad day, Denar—”  
Denar held up his hand, cutting off his Imdiko. “Not just one day, my Imdiko. It’s been a long and strenuous four years. Not all bad, true, but we’ve done more than our share, staying a year longer than the agreed three year stint. It’s time to get back to our homes, our jobs, and our families.”  
Susannah felt a cold lump form in her stomach. Denar was talking about his clan, their homes, their families. Did she have a part in any of it? Or were they just going to be glad to get off this rock and leave everything Earther behind, including one bratty female?  
“Do you agree, my clan?”  
“I’m ready.” Kyrnis raised his glass in salute.  
Tynevek pulled his cushion closer to hers. His eyes were cautious. “Yes, I agree. But what about Susannah, my Dramok?”  
Denar sat even straighter. He looked at Susannah, his face unreadable. “You have had time to consider, Susannah, and receive advice and learn for your self. Tell me, do you believe Armageddon happened and that the danger to Earth is real?”  
No mention of his wish to have her along. She answered anyway. “Yes, I do believe it.” She glanced around at the handsome faces she’d come to know so well. How could she say goodbye?  
“Have you come to a decision about your future, Matara?”  
“I have.” She looked at all of them again. Truth time. “I want to go to Kalquor.”  
Kyrnis looked about to sag with relief, but Denar held up his hand. “Before you declare that, Susannah, I have to ask you: would you wish to come to Kalquor if the storehouse were still accessible to you?”  
“Are you asking if I’m settling for Kalquor because there is nothing else for me?” She shook her head. “In all honesty, Denar, I can’t answer that. But there is little else for me here, I see that now. I can’t stay on a dying world. The storehouse is beyond reclamation. Even if it could be restored, I’d have to call too much attention to it in order to do the work, putting it in danger of being looted or destroyed. If the Collection survives, perhaps someday, someone will find it again.” Her heart lurched, then she breathed deeply. “But it won’t be me.”  
Tynevek looked at her sadly. “I’m sorry, Susannah.”  
There was a moment of silence. She realized they were giving her space, to respond, to mourn. Gratitude moved her almost to tears but she quickly mastered herself and nodded for the Dramok to continue.  
Denar was still stern. “Do you wish to travel to Kalquor soon? Are ready to say goodbye to Earth?”  
Was she? It wasn’t as if she was deeply attached to anyplace other than the storehouse itself. She knew so little of the world aboveground. She had no other roots. She really didn’t have anything else. “Yes. I need to get on with my life.”  
Denar wasn’t finished. “Do want to travel with the other rescued Mataras? As your counselors have probably told you, accommodations on the transport are extensive. You would have every comfort on board.”  
“Yes, they showed me vids. The transporters look very nice. I researched them on the Source.” She shrugged. “And I am a rescued Matara. How else would I travel?” Her heart was tripping, stopping, speeding up. She hardly dared hope there was another option.  
“Matara. I want you to think about this carefully before you answer. I believe I speak for my clanmates when I say that we would be glad to continue acting as your guardians. As such, you would travel with us, share our quarters, and be under our protection, of course. It might not be the same as being with others of your kind, but you should be allowed to mingle with some of the other Earthers once everyone is acclimated to the ship.”  
“Travel with you?” She hardly heard anything else he said. “You want me with you?”  
Denar nodded. “We do. But you are to think about—“  
“Yes!” She clenched her fists in her lap. “Yes. I want to travel with you.”   
Denar gave her his best, most laser-like look. “You were to think about it, Matara.”  
She shook her head, hair whipping around her shoulders. “I have thought and thought. I’ve never had that much contact with other Earthers, anyway. I—I don’t want to leave you three just yet.”  
He regarded her for a long moment. She held her breath. Oh, god, was he going to rescind the offer because of her haste? She didn’t dare look at Tynevek and Kyrnis. One look and she might start weeping and begging. Maybe that was what she should— “Very well.” Denar’s smile began to grow. “Our beloved ward stays with us. You will have all of the journey to decide what you want to do once you reach Kalquor.”  
Tynevek grabbed her again, squeezing her so hard she squeaked. For a doctor, he was playing fast and loose with her skeletal structure, but she wouldn’t trade it for millions. “Our little love! I’m so glad you said yes!”  
Kyrnis pried her out of the Imdiko’s arms and bent her over for deep, long, hot kiss. When he at last let her up, he grinned down at her. “We still have many things to share, little one. I can’t wait.”  
He took her by the shoulders and turned her to face Denar. He was watching them all, looking far happier than he had for weeks, it seemed. He opened his arms and drew her close. “Matara. Matara.” It sounded like the refrain of a favorite song. He held her close, his broad chest warming and comforting her. When he set her away, his gaze grew sharp once more.   
“Now, ward, listen carefully. Remember the papers you signed when you came on base? ‘Matara Susannah Talcott. Assimilated Earther female under the exclusive protection of Clan Denar.’ That still applies. We’ll extend the time limits to suit. And the rules we gave you won’t change much. You will consult us before you make any serious or important decisions, even if you believe they might anger us. You will be completely honest with us. We cannot care for you as proper guardians if we don’t know what you’re thinking or feeling. You will keep close to us. You will obey my orders as Dramok of your guardian clan. You will also follow orders from Tynevek and Kyrnis, as your other guardians.” He raised a brow. “Do you think you can submit to our authority, Susannah?”  
She nodded, almost too happy to speak. “I’ll try.”  
“My clan, we have a ward. We take it as our duty and our honor to guard her, protect her, care for her, and answer for her for the duration of our journey home. Yes?”  
Tynevek looked ready to grab her again. Kyrnis looked ready to devour her whole. She shivered, delighted, as they both replied, “Yes, my Dramok.”  
Denar relaxed, but only slightly. “Now, we have a small matter of a very bratty little ward…”

C9, S3  
The following morning, her behind still pink and sore from their enthusiastic discipline and the rest of her body blissfully sated from their rigorous night of celebrating, Susannah went with Denar to her first counseling meeting of the day, with Neneer. Denar agreed to allow her to meet with the Imdiko alone, to tell him of her decision.   
“I’ll be back in just a few minutes. I have to meet with the Administrative Officer regarding our berth on the transport.” He kissed her soundly and went off down the corridor. She told Neneer of her decision.  
“Matara Susannah, you can’t be serious!”  
Neneer’s response to her news was a look of horror that he quickly concealed. He smoothed down his shirt and became all business at once. “Tell me how you reached this decision.”  
“I saw the destruction for myself firsthand. I believe that Armageddon happened the way I have been told.”  
“Saw the destruction?”  
She nodded. “Yes, I was on a flyover of the area. I saw the devastation. I was—“  
Neneer didn’t try to hide his shock. “A flyover? You were taken up in a Kalquorian ship and flown to see such terrible sights? Whyever for?”  
“Because I needed to see for myself. I needed evidence that the destruction was vast and that it could only have happened in a terrible, massive explosion.”  
“Matara,” he said sternly before she could continue. “That should never have happened. It’s against all protocol. We would never expose an Earther Matara to such an ordeal. It is vastly disturbing. Did your guardian clan know you went on this flyover?”  
“Of course. I would never have gone without their permission. They arranged it.”  
Neneer paced around his desk, his jaw working. “I can’t imagine our superiors would have approved such a traumatic endeavor. Your status as ward is unusual enough. But this sets a dangerous precedent that we can’t risk with our evacuees and rescued persons. What if there had been an emergency?”  
“Well, there was, really. The shuttle was called to assist in a firefight and we had to cut the flyover short—“  
“Great suns! You were put in harm’s way?” He raised his hands. “Matara, you must not do anything like this again. No wonder you felt pressured to ask to leave with Clan Denar.”  
She narrowed her gaze. “I was not pressured. And the flyover helped me make my decision to leave Earth and go to Kalquor.”  
Neneer drew a deep breath and seemed to take a step back. He tilted his head to one side, then took his seat at his desk. “Tell me how this came about, please. I am your liaison and I will listen carefully.”  
“Thank you.” Did he really mean it? She studied the Imdiko for a long moment, then decided it was best to explain her own choices. She related the pros and cons she’d turned over and over in her mind, leaving out one or two she felt were too personal to share outside the clan. She told him how she and Clan Denar had talked it over and she wished to remain under their guardianship.   
“Ah. But making you their ward is only meant to be temporary, Matara. Something limited to your time on this base.” Neneer tapped his fingers together before his chest. “Again, we have no precedent for such an—uh—association beyond Earth. Some would almost look at it as favoritism toward Clan Denar.”  
“I was told mine is considered a special case, regardless of which clan guarded me. If Commander Kwess gives us the green light, there should be no problem, yes?” She shifted. Would Kwess agree?  
“Matara Susannah.” The counselor lowered his voice and leaned forward. “You are young and you are sheltered. You are a stranger among us as much as we are strangers among you Earthers. You cannot know the…background of the men on this base.”  
“Background?”  
He sighed. “I fear that sounds like something criminal, doesn’t it? I assure you, I have no desire to slander Clan Denar. However, as a liaison, I have seen many clan-Earther relationships develop here on the base. Not all are felicitous.”  
“No. It stands to reason that they would not be.”  
“Matara, I know you’ve developed an attachment with this clan. I’ve known Dramok Denar since we were children. He is of a fine family and has a good reputation as an officer. However, there are some small incidents in his past that cause me to question his motives for becoming your guardian.”  
“Incidents?”  
“There was an incident when he and his clan first came to Earth. It is not a matter I’m permitted to discuss in detail, but I can say that his clan and his judgement were called into question at the highest levels.”  
“If you can’t talk about it, you shouldn’t be telling me, should you?” Irritation rose in her. What was he getting at and why?   
“I am not allowed to tell you, no. But it did involve others who were under his care. However, there have been other events.” He looked bleak.  
“Such as?”  
Neneer hesitated, fiddling with a small, carved figure on his desktop. “I can tell you that Dramok Denar purchased an Earther woman several years ago. A sex slave. He sent her to Plasius and he visits her there.”  
Cold settled in her stomach but she kept her face bland. “So? How does this affect me? I am only his ward.” Not his Matara. Maybe never his Matara.   
“As you say. I just thought you should know. There is also controversy surrounding Imdiko Tynevek.”  
Oh, this had to be bull puckey, as her friend Lena would have said. Tynevek was the sweetest, gentlest man alive, as far as she could see. Even when he insisted on her submission in bed, he was always careful with her, always showered her with praise and pleasure. Her beast had a tender heart.  
“What sort of controversy?”  
“There is resistance on Kalquor against our race mingling with that of Earth, as you must know.”  
“Yes, several people have told me about that. There is the same feeling among some Earthers. Obviously.”  
“Indeed. Yet Denar’s Imdiko has been an outspoken proponent for the rights of the Earther Mataras. He wants your people to be made full citizens of the Empire, regardless of clan status.”  
“I don’t see that as a problem.”  
“Perhaps not. However, it is an issue fraught with complications. But my concern, as your liaison, is that it could make you vulnerable, Matara Susannah. Vulnerable to those who vehemently oppose Tynevek’s point of view.” He leaned closer. She pulled back, slightly. “Has Denar asked you to clan with them?”  
She felt the sting, fresh as last night. Still, she held herself proudly. “No. There’s been no talk of that. I am their ward. That—that’s sufficient for me.”  
“You are sure? Clan Denar are known for their strong personalities. They can be overwhelming to a young woman with little experience in the world. In our world,” he amended hastily. “And I know very well you are quite a brilliant scholar. But studying Kalquorians from vids and book files is not the same as having lived among our people for years.”  
The little carved figure turned over and over in the liaison’s hands. There was a look of great sadness in his cherubic face. “Denar and his clanmates have duties and responsibilities on Kalquor. Family and friends. They are young and ambitious and have yet to build their careers. I believe Denar secreted his Earther slave on Plasius so she wouldn’t be in the way while he and his lifemates followed their chosen paths. Also, I suspect—“  
“Yes?”  
“I suspect that he has been hesitant to bring her to Kalquor knowing she would be an outsider and a bitter reminder of the war. She might also cost them vital opportunities because she is Earther. It’s not fair, but people will discriminate against her. And the clan to which she belongs.”  
She hadn’t thought of that. She would be an outsider on Kalquor, although the Kalquorians assured her she would be welcomed. The war had been tragic for all sides and yes, she did know some Kalquorians hated Earthers with a passion. She couldn’t stand it if she caused her lovers—guardians—to give up their future for her. Or give up even more.   
She gazed up at Neneer, who was looking at her with sadness and real concern. She’d known what she wanted. Knew what she wanted. Yet, had she really thought about what the clan needed?  
That did it. She had to get out of there. Susannah rose. “Thank you for your counsel, Liaison.”  
“I am sorry, Matara.” Neneer came around his desk. He reached out to her but didn’t touch her. “I know this isn’t easy to hear. But I felt I would be failing you if I didn’t give you all the facts.”  
She moved, unseeing, out of Neneer’s office, past the young Imdiko assistant at his desk. “Matara, wait!” he called.  
She ignored him and kept walking, out into the corridor. She moved quickly, putting distance between her and Neneer, with his sad face, his troubling words. Her mind whirled, recalling all he’d said. Did Denar have another Earther he wanted for their Matara? Or did he only want a slave he could fuck when he wanted and leave when it suited him? A fully clanned Matara, an Earther, wouldn’t be so easy or convenient for the ambitious, driven Dramok.  
Questions whirled. Was Tynevek a dangerous person to know? Would she bring danger to them herself, just for being Earther? Was she a naive, sheltered female who didn’t understand Earthers, let alone Kalquorians? Should she have looked more carefully into this arrangement she’d made with her clan before she’d said yes so quickly?  
Only they weren’t her clan. Not really. They were just legal guardians. Guardians she lived with, alone. Guardians she fucked. They had made no offers of clanship. There had been no word of it. Besides, hadn’t Neneer just said that Denar already had a woman on Plasius? Just how big an idiot was she?  
“Matara Susannah!”  
She stopped at the sound of her name, pulling up just in time to avoid running into the man standing in front of her. Gok stood in the hall, his gentle face full of mingled welcome and concern.   
“Hello, Gok. I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”  
“It’s all right. I’m surprised to see you here, is all.” He looked past her in both directions. “Where are your clan?”  
“Not my clan. Just my guardians.” She was stricken to hear how pitiful that sounded. She pulled herself together. “Sorry. My head was in the clouds.”  
“Come and sit for a moment. Matara Linda has been wanting to see you.”  
She looked around. She had come all the way across the building, to the medical wing. She wasn’t sure she knew how to get back to quarters. She’d never gone anywhere by herself. She truly was sheltered, wasn’t she?  
“I—I’d like that.”   
Linda was in a chair in her room. “Look what the sweetie pie dragged in.”  
Gok colored up but bustled around, getting a chair for Susannah. “Here, Matara. I will get you something cool to drink.”  
She had no doubt Gok was going to contact Denar. Well, she had to face them sometime, maybe sooner was better.   
“Don’t be long, my angel of mercy.” Linda smiled a crocodile smile at the blushing Imdiko, batting her lashes. Gok fled the room.  
Susannah looked at Linda and shook her head. “You’re so mean to that man.”  
Her companion giggled. “I know. It’s almost too easy. And what’s more, lately all I have to do is mention the name of a certain Nobek and my sweet aide gets so flustered he forgets his own name.”  
“That name wouldn’t be Serr, would it?”   
“Ah, so you’ve seen it, too? I think it’s adorable. That big Nobek looks at Gok like he could eat up our lovely boy.”  
“Serr is a good man. He’d be a good Nobek for Gok.”  
“I agree. I wouldn’t mind taking a ride on that Serr myself.”  
“Could happen.” Susannah grinned. “Gok dotes on you as it is.”  
“Speaking of doting, where are your big beautiful guys? Usually you have one of them sticking to you like a burr.”  
“I had an appointment with a liaison. Denar went to arrange travel plans.”  
“Travel plans? Tell all.”  
Susannah blew out a breath. “I told them I’ve decided to go to Kalquor.”  
“With Clan Denar? That’s wonderful, girl!”  
“I don’t know. I thought it was wonderful last night but today…I don’t know.”  
“What’s bothering you? Is it leaving Earth?”  
Susannah wrinkled her brow, mouth pursing. “No. Not really. I’m not really an Earther in the usual sense. But, well, I just don’t know where I stand with them. I agreed to go to Kalquor with them as their ward.”  
“Ahh.” Linda leaned back in her chair. “You wish it could be more?”  
“Yes. I think so. But there’s also all the other stuff.”  
“Stuff? Not very articulate, my brainy friend.”  
“I don’t feel very brainy. I never thought about what it might mean for them to be saddled with an Earther. I went up and did a flyover yesterday. I saw the horror of it and we were actually in a fight. This war isn’t really over, is it? ”  
“Well, not in the hearts of some people, no. But you can’t let their bitterness come between you and your men.” Linda studied her shrewdly. “I’m surprised you were allowed to go on a flyover. That is a special privilege, some would say, but then yours is a very different situation. All of us who were aboveground know firsthand what happened. I don’t blame you for wanting proof. What did your liaison say?”  
“Well, first he yelled about me taking that flight. Then he told me what it might be like for me and for the clan on Kalquor. How I’d be an outsider. He also pointed out some things about the clan that make me think they might be better off without me.”  
“Huh. Who’s your liaison?”  
“Imdiko Neneer.”  
“Ahh. I see.” Linda looked around and lowered her voice. “You know how Serr looks at Gok?”  
“Yes.”  
“That’s how Neneer looks at your Denar. And, by the way, how Clan Denar looks at you.”  
Susannah recalled what Tynevek had told her about Neneer. “Tynevek says Neneer’s jealous of Denar.”  
“Not jealous of Denar, darlin’. Jealous of his clanmates.”  
Susannah scowled. “Wow. Seriously?”  
Linda’s curls bounced as she nodded. “Any time I see Neneer around Denar, his eyes are hanging out on stalks. Of course, that’s just when none of Clan Denar are looking. But I’ve seen. If your Nobek saw the way Neneer looks at your Dramok, he’d probably rip Neneer’s head off. And from the way Neneer looks at Kyrnis and Tynevek, I think he’d cheerfully push them both under an earth mover and back it up over them. Twice.”  
“Then Neneer has a stake in getting Denar to stay here.” She said it more to herself but Linda nodded again, emphatically. The liaison had been using her. She felt again that pang of embarrassment at being so gullible.   
Linda went on, confirming her thoughts. “My guess is, if you stay on Earth, Neneer thinks Denar will stay here, too, and Neneer will still have a shot at Denar.”  
“A shot? How could he? They’re clanned for life, Denar, Tynevek, and Kyrnis. They’re all crazy about each other.” So crazy they didn’t even need—or want—a Matara? And Denar already had someone else.  
Linda shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess Neneer would look for a moment of weakness, when he’s alone with Denar. Or maybe he just wants to worm his way into Denar’s life.” She put out a hand. “I don’t know if Neneer could or would do anything. I just wanted to give you the heads up. That Imdiko looks like a choir boy but I think he’s a schemer.”  
“So, I should take his advice with a pinch of salt?” She was learning.  
“A whole shaker full, maybe?” Linda sat back, nodding. “And tell me this, my friend: have any of your other counselors told you that you’d be a liability to a Kalquorian clan?”  
She thought back over all the appointments and lectures she’d attended over the past several days. No one had said anything about intolerance until Neneer, today. Only Neneer, and if Linda was right, he had his own agenda. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Oh, Linda, I can’t thank you enough. I was ready to run from the clan again.”  
Her friend waved her hands. “No, no, girl. Do not run from them. Not just because there’s no reason, but running from Kalquorians just brings out the predator in them. They’d hunt you down just for the sport of it, even if they weren’t already so in love with you.”  
Susannah shifted on her seat, remembering the way they made her pay for running away last time. No, she wouldn’t be running anywhere that didn’t lead directly to Clan Denar.   
“I need to com them.”   
“If Gok hasn’t done it already.” Linda’s grin was back. “He’s pretty protective, even of someone who only spent one night in his care.   
She pulled out the com unit they’d given her and pressed the direct link to Denar. He answered at once. “Matara?”  
“Yes. I wanted to tell you I went down to see my friend Linda on Gok’s med ward. I’m okay and I’ll wait here for you, unless you want me to meet you somewhere.”  
“Stay where you are. I’m just leaving the Commander’s office now.”  
The call ended, Susannah looked to Linda. “There. See what a good girl I am?”  
Linda snickered. “Yeah, right.”  
“Never mind me,” Susannah said, waving her hand airily. “Tell me more about Gok and the dashing Serr. Is there a Dramok in the wings?”  
Denar came soon, but Susannah was composed and refreshed by the time Gok showed him in. He bowed graciously to Linda and thanked Gok for attending her. She hugged Linda and promised to visit again soon.   
Denar peered at her as they exited the med unit. “How did you get from Neneer’s to Gok’s ward?”  
She gave him a pert look. “I walked, of course.” She saw his face darken and backtracked, fast. “I was done early with Neneer and I strolled down to see her. I went nowhere else and Gok was there.”  
He shot her a piercing look but left it at that. “Kwess has agreed to muster us out. He thinks we can leave within the week.”  
“Oh. So soon?”  
“Does that not agree with you? I didn’t think you would want to linger.” His eyes had gone softer. “Will it be a wrench for you to go?”  
She considered. No, she had no ties, save the one buried far underground. She had no home. No family. Her only friend was Linda and Linda would be coming to Kalquor herself. She recalled Denar’s relief when the decision to leave had been reached. He’d had a great weight lifted from his broad shoulders, she’d seen. He needed to leave.   
And she wanted to get him well away from Imdiko Eyes-On-Stalks Neneer. Denar was her Dramok for now and she wasn’t interested in sharing him, or any of her guardian clan. She might not be a true member of Clan Denar, but as far as she was concerned, Denar was a member of Clan Hers. And there was no sex slave with them now, Plasius was far, far away, so she had their complete attention.  
She was surprised to feel more about the clan than about the Collection. Was that important? She decided that in this moment, it wasn’t. She had a future. An adventure. A chance to learn more of the universe.   
“No. It won’t be a wrench at all.” She beamed up at the tall man beside her and saw his eyes clear and brighten. “Within the week will be fine. Although, I warn you, it may take me almost two whole minutes to pack.”  
He grinned. “There’s a new shipment of clothing and other personal items for Earthers that’s just arrived. We’ll take you shopping. Maybe we can stretch your packing to fifteen minutes.”  
She giggled. “That long, huh?”  
“Do you recall your guardians’ favorite of all your outfits?”  
She gave an exaggerated sigh. “My birthday suit.”  
“Exactly. So, you may not need so many items as you believe.”  
Shopping with the clan was an experience and a half. The men kept gravitating to the table with the lingerie and she kept having to pull them back to more practical matters. Not that she minded all that much. Some of the lingerie looked wildly naughty and she made a note of what things seemed to attract them most. What was more, they were more than happy to buy her anything else she showed an interest in, so that she soon had to watch what she touched, lest one of them rush to get it for her. By the time they left the exchange, they carried several bags, including one holding two ancient printed romance novels that Susannah was surprised to find she’d never read. She gave Kyrnis a big buss on the cheek when he showed them to her.  
The scurry to pack, wrap up all the necessary paperwork, and finalize her passport onto transport kept her busy. No thoughts of Neneer or even the storehouse had a chance to linger. The clan wanted her to model all the lacy underthings they’d bought for her but she held them off, laughing. “I’m going to reveal them to you, bit by bit. After all, it’s a long trip to Kalquor.”   
They’d grumbled but let her have her way. She said her goodbyes to Linda and Gok, and parted warmly with Doctor Admek and Doctor Thantazar. She scrupulously avoided Imdiko Neneer. They cleaned their quarters one last time, washing and folding and storing things away for the next occupants. Then, the next morning, they headed out to the landing bays and made ready to board the shuttle that would take them up to the much larger ship that was orbiting far above.   
Susannah’s excitement had been building over the last few days. She was going into space! She would see other galaxies, have new experiences. So much to know! No, no more trepidations remained. She was ready for a new life, especially one that included Clan Denar.


	10. Chapter 10

ALIEN RESCUE—Fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER 10

C10, S1  
She was handed into the shuttle and quickly fastened into a seat. Serr was piloting the small craft. He bowed and grinned at Susannah when she came aboard. Denar took the co-pilot’s position and Kyrnis settled into the compact communications center. Only three other Earthers and five other Kalquorians were on board. Tynevek sat next to her. He held out a pill to her, along with his water flask.   
“Here. You’ve never flown off-world, have you? Outside of Earth’s atmosphere?”  
She shook her head. “The shuttle flights since I came aboveground were my first ever.”   
He nodded and placed the pill in her hand. “Take this just in case. Flying is one thing, space flight is another. It’s very mild and safe and it will simply settle any stomach upset or dizziness.”  
“Will it make me drowsy?” She didn’t want to miss a thing.  
“No, it’s just to help you adjust to the changes in gravity. We have good stabilizers on our ships, but I didn’t want to take a chance that you might be uncomfortable.”  
She dutifully took the capsule and drank the water. He glanced around to see if they were watched, then kissed her swiftly as the doors slammed shut and the lights in the shuttle dimmed. “Ready for a ride, sweet one?”   
“Completely.” Excitement bubbled and fizzed within her but she tried to contain it and act nonchalant. “This should be very interesting.”  
His laugh was a rich sound in the darkened space. “That’s my scholar.”  
They reached the transport several hours later. Susannah had actually loved the few moments of weightlessness she felt before their gravity sensors adapted the environment inside the shuttle. She found she was willing to let Earth and all its cares slip away.  
It was such a poignant irony. She had never had ties to Earth, but her whole life had been dedicated to protecting and preserving its treasures, so that her people would have a heritage that was uniquely theirs.   
That was all done, now. She was ready to let it go and be replaced with her new future.   
Her heart rose with each passing hour. There wasn’t much to see beyond the darkness of the cockpit vid screen but she watched with avid attention, thrilled when the huge transport ship came into view, its lights glowing. She’d left Earth’s hold and was heading into space!Their tiny shuttle zipped toward the big, sleek beast, slid into an open bay, and landed with the lightest of touches.   
She grinned at Tynevek when the lights rose again. “Wonderful!”  
He laughed again, helped her out of her safety fasteners, and waited while she became accustomed to walking in gravity again. They exited the shuttle into the huge docking bay of the transport ship. Her three companions took formation around her as they were all processed through decontamination and records.   
Everywhere they went, men nodded to Denar and saluted him. “Welcome back, Captain,” many of them said and he nodded in return. They tried hard not to, she could tell, but they looked at her with barely concealed fascination. She began to feel self-conscious.  
“Haven’t they ever seen an Earther woman before?” she whispered.   
Kyrnis smiled. “Not one as beautiful as you, little one.”  
“Oh, don’t be silly.”  
“All right.” His voice took on a more serious tone. “They’ve never seen us with an Earther woman. And I’m not sure any of them has seen one like you.”  
“Don’t you bring Earther females aboard all the time? This is a transport ship for the rescue mission, isn’t it?”  
Tynevek explained. “It is. But the rescued Mataras are escorted in larger groups, usually by a team of Imdiko medics. Many of them are upset and frightened and we do what we can to keep them together and in as many non-threatening environments as possible. For the men to see you with us, smiling and looking around like you’re at an amusement park is an unusual sight.”  
“Wow.”  
“You said this.”  
“You said it,” she corrected the Imdiko, laughing. Her giggles brought still more stares. She gulped. It had been a long time since she’d been around this many other people. Even at the rescue center, she’d been apart by virtue of her relationship with Clan Denar. She ran this new gauntlet with her big protectors close at hand, grateful for their substantial presence around her. As more and more people looked up from their tasks to watch them, she wasn’t sure she could have made it through this strange place full of strangers’ faces without the clan with her. She could empathize with the other Earther women who were traveling under very different circumstances, but who were facing the same foreign environment. If it was intimidating for her, it must be terrifying for them.  
They came to a door with a very stern-faced guard. He saluted Denar and nodded to the other men. He bowed low before Susannah.   
“Welcome, Matara Susannah Talcott.”  
“Thank you.” How did he know her name?  
She didn’t have time to ask as the door was opened and they were escorted into an elegant office filled with beautiful, simple furniture and fine paintings on the walls. But what took her breath away was the floor to ceiling wall of thick glass at the opposite end, and beyond it, the vast stretches of sky, including a large, greenish space station. Not a vid screen, she realized, but a real, true window. What was it made of? How did it withstand the pressure of space travel?  
A million questions crowded into her mind but before she could open her mouth, Denar gave her hand a quick squeeze and shook his head. She clamped her lips together. Kyrnis caught her eye and winked, then the demon pinched her butt! She almost gasped but he scowled and shook his head at her.   
So she was distracted when the tallest man she had ever seen glided into the room from a side door. He had to be seven feet or more. He wore a fine blue formsuit with gold piping and his moonlight-white hair was caught into a long, long braid down his back. He had an ageless, almost regal look about him, an air of authority and well-controlled power.  
All three Kalquorians bowed and then saluted him. She sank to a bow but the man chuckled and lifted her to a standing position. She looked up into purple eyes so sharp she wondered if he was able to see through walls. Yet the smile he gave her was so sweet and welcoming she almost relaxed. Almost. Because her three lovers were standing next to her, at rigid attention.   
“At ease, officers,” the man said mildly. “Matara, welcome to my ship.”  
“This is Matara Susannah Talcott, sir,” Denar’s voice was stiff and formal. “May I introduce Admiral Dramok Raka of the Imperial Kalquorian Navy, Commander of the Imperial ship, the ‘Dranisi’?”   
“How do you do?” She bowed again. “No, no. There’s no need to bow, Matara.”   
“Thank you, sir.” Was she supposed to address him as Admiral? Commander? Dramok Raka? She wished she’d read more on Kalquorian military and social protocol.   
The Admiral looked to Denar and raised a brow. Denar nodded. That surprised her. Evidently, even a superior officer had to follow clan etiquette, asking permission before directly addressing another man’s Matara. It felt good to be treated like a real Matara, even if she was only temporary.   
Raka drew her hand under his arm and led her across the room to the transparent wall. “It’s astonishing, isn’t it?”   
“It is breathtaking! How far can we see from here? That’s an artificial moon, isn’t it? Sir.”  
He blinked, then smiled that sweet smile again. “I forgot you are a scholar, Matara. Your inquisitive mind is a treasure. We can see LXS5, of course.” He nodded at the green orb. “That is where we’ve been based for several days. It’s not far, as you can tell. Although once we’re in space, it’s hard to judge distances by sight.”  
She nodded. “I know. I understand you can fly for months on end and hardly know you’re moving until you come near the orbit of another body.”  
“Have you ever flown out before?”  
She shook her head. “No. The shuttle ride here from Earth was my first time.” She grinned up at him. “My head spun a little bit but I loved it!”  
He beamed back at her. “So, you are amenable to adventure, then, Matara Susannah?”  
She turned back to the window. “There’s so much to know! Is your ship ion-propelled? Or do you use a chemical fuel of some kind?”  
Denar cleared his throat behind them. Admiral Raka glanced his way, brows raised. “Yes, Captain?”  
“If you don’t mind, sir, we’ve only just come aboard. I believe Matara Susannah would like to get cleaned and changed before evening meal, sir.”  
“Of course.” He beamed down at her once again. “I look forward to meeting with you again soon, Matara. I have to be on the bridge in a few moments to plan our launch.” He bowed once more and she tried not to gape at the courtesy of this powerful man. “Welcome aboard.”  
Denar and the others bowed and led her from the room. She cast a last glance at the view from the window and went along. The three men burst into gusty sighs of relief when they reached the corridor, out of earshot of the guard. She halted and put her hands on her hips. “What’s all this about? Why’d you hustle me out like there was a fire?”  
Denar’s eyes twinkled. “The admiral is the most ferocious character in the whole Navy. He eats little girls like you for breakfast.”  
“What? That nice man?”  
Kyrnis choked. “That nice man once dressed down a full captain in front of a whole complement of the Imperial clan and half the Galactic Council just for having a smudge on his boots.”  
“And he single-handedly freed a prison camp on Rolfunin, rescuing a hundred men who’d been captive for nearly five years. Not one guard or camp commandant was left alive.” Tynevek’s eyes were wide.   
“He’s commander of this ship, right?”  
“He doesn’t just command the ‘Dranisi,’ love. He commands the whole fleet of Earth operations. He’s on his way back to Kalquor to take command of the entire Imperial Navy. Only Nobek Emperor Bevau ranks higher than Raka.”  
“Wow.”  
“You said it.”  
“But he was so sweet to me. Oh. Were you afraid I was going to embarrass you?” She stopped again, suddenly hurt. She was becoming sensitive about her lack of worldly experiences.   
Tynevek patted her quickly. “Not at all, Susannah. You were perfect.”   
Denar led them around a corner and down another long corridor. How big was this ship, anyway?   
He lowered his voice. “It’s just that when the fleet admiral gets to talking about his ships, Susannah, he can’t stop. We would have been there for hours, listening to every detail of the ‘Dranisi’s’ conception, construction, and history. The launch would have been delayed!”  
“Not to mention evening meal.” Kyrnis looked stricken.  
“So, I shouldn’t ask him questions?”  
“Yes, you should. I could see he was flattered and fascinated with you.” Tynevek grinned. “Just pick the right time and place, little scholar. The pair of you would never stop.”  
“Huh.”  
Denar stopped at a door at the end of the corridor and presented his face for a subcutaneous capillary scan. The door unlocked with a snick and they went inside.   
“Oh, my.” The spacious room before her was neat and simple but decorated with taste in muted grays and light blue. It was softly lit from light discs floating near the ceiling, making it even more inviting. Romantic.  
“When we messaged ahead that we were bringing a fully assimilated Matara on board with us, we were able to pull some strings and get full clan accommodations,” Kyrnis said proudly. “Is it nice, little one?”  
“It’s beautiful!”  
“We don’t have a view like the admiral’s.” Denar scooped her up and carried her into the center of the room. He made a slow turn in place so she could get a full view. “But we have much more room than we would have if you weren’t with us. So, thank you, sweet.”  
She looked around from her perch in his arms. “Everything’s Kalquorian-sized.”  
Kyrnis sighed. “Yes, thank the ancients.” He flopped down in one of the huge chairs in the living area. “No more stooping through doorways. No more fears that I’m going to break something.”  
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She meant it. “I guess I didn’t think when we were at the storehouse. Or even the base.”  
“He’s just being a big baby.” Tynevek breezed past them. “Our galley should be stocked, but a lot of the time, we’ll eat in the officer’s mess.”  
Susannah looked to Kyrnis. “You’re not going to cook for us? You’re the best and I wanted to learn some Kalquorian dishes.”  
“I’ll do what I can. But I will be on duty quite a bit. There will be times when none of us is eager to cook, and the mess and even a couple of the small dining stations and kiosks around the ship will have good food.”  
Denar set her down and took her hand. “Let’s go see our sleeping room.” His smile was hot with promise.   
The sleeping room was downright gorgeous, with dense carpeting on the floors in a forest brown and furnishings of rust and deep green. It was like being in the redwoods, almost. Except nowhere, even in the giant redwoods, would anyone find a bed like this one, she thought.   
“It’s big enough for all of us.” She touched the soft spread that stretched across its sheer acreage.   
“That’s right.” Kyrnis swooped in, caught her in his arms and, turning, fell backwards onto the sleeping platform, keeping her on his chest. He turned her chin to press a deep kiss to her lips. “I can’t wait for us all to share it.”  
She rolled off of him and kept rolling for yards, it seemed, until she finally reached the other side, giggling uncontrollably. Three big bodies dove for her and she was soon gasping and shrieking for mercy from their tickles, their kisses, and the outrageous places their hands and tongues somehow managed to reach even while they were all fully clothed.   
“Wait, wait! Before I die of cinnamon overdose, don’t we have to get changed and go to dinner?”  
Growls and snarls and even a Bronx cheer greeted this question.   
“You’re right.” Denar lifted his head from where he’d been sucking on her breast through the fabric of her top. He gave the breast a kiss and a pat, as if bidding it goodbye, then pulled himself up to leave the sleeping platform. “First night out on a long voyage, the admiral expects us to be there. Not to mention Captain Granin. I’d never hear the end of it on the bridge tomorrow if I failed to show.”  
“Oh, well, at least we get to show Susannah how the shower works.” Kyrnis rolled off the bed.   
“No!” Denar raised his hands. “We do that and we’ll be lucky to make it to mess by midday meal tomorrow.” He grinned wickedly. “We know she can’t control herself when she sees us all wet and naked.”  
She stuck her tongue out at him. Then her face fell. “Oh, but I can’t go! I only have the two dresses and neither of them is nice enough for dinner with the admiral.”  
Kyrnis beamed. “Don’t worry. We’ve taken care of that, too. Go get clean, little one.” He picked her up by the waist and set her off the platform. “The bath’s through that door over there.”  
Susannah was luxuriating in the hot water and lovely, fresh-scented soaps and shampoos when a big hand shot past her and switched off the water. “Hey!”  
“Sorry, beauty, but big as it is, ‘Dranisi’ is still a ship.” Tynevek’s look was apologetic. “We have to conserve water. Get wet, turn off. Lather, rinse fast, turn off. That’s the drill.”  
“Hey!” she cried out again as his hand slicked through the soap between her legs and then vanished in the steam. She heard a happy chuckle as the door closed behind him.   
“Bunch of horny fourteen year olds.” Damn, but she loved the giant imps. Smiling, she finished her shower, carefully following ship’s rules. She headed for the bedroom, toweling her hair. She stopped just short of the bed, staring.  
The dress that was laid out on the sleeping platform took her breath away. The sleeveless gown had a high collar, which circled the neck and was formed of silvery stones like opals. It held a cascade of some silky, iridescent fabric in changing shades of hyacinth blue. The top looked like it would just gently outline her torso before it floated down over her hips to billow around her when she walked. She reached out a fingertip to touch the beautiful dress, then looked up to see three pairs of deep purple eyes staring anxiously at her.   
“For me?”  
Denar’s tone was dry. “It would look like hell on our Nobek.”  
She giggled, then lifted up the glorious dress, reveling in the luxurious fabric. “It’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen dresses made for queens and duchesses.”  
“Then you like it?” Kyrnis’ brows were up, hopeful.   
“I love it. But is it right for evening meal in the ship’s mess?”  
Denar nodded. “It is. I checked with a source vid from home.”  
“But I like what you’re wearing now best of all,” said Tynevek.   
She looked down at her nude body and shook her head. “Horny fourteen year olds.” Then she smiled, sending her love radiating toward them. “Thank you, my handsome lovers. I’ll try to do it justice.”  
She dressed, noting that the only undergarment she could wear beneath it were panties. She snorted as she looked at her pitiful supply of those undergarments; if the guys didn’t stop ripping them off of her, she’d have none left long before they reached Kalquor. None except the naughty ones they’d bought for her at the base exchange, and she was saving those. She grinned as she clasped the gown’s collar behind her neck. She hoped they appreciated them as much as they did her nudity. Of course, they might end up being ripped off her, too. Ah, well.  
No one would guess that the three serious, elegant men who presented themselves as her escorts to dinner were the same ones who romped with her, who handled her body with utter disrespect for her modesty, and who were growling, dominating beasts in the bedroom. The same ones who bossed her around, teased her, lectured her and cuddled her to their big bodies while they slept. Throughout the evening, they were well-mannered, courtly, and charming. Seeing them in their dress uniforms made her heart swell with pride. To her eyes, they were the handsomest, most amazing men on the ship.   
The mess was anything but messy, she thought, looking around, sipping her wine. The huge room with its many linen-swathed tables was sleekly decorated in alternating shades of silver and gold, and the ensigns who waited on them were stiffly correct and composed. She was relieved her escorts didn’t try to feed her by hand. When she asked Tynevek about it, he smiled.  
“At a formal meal like this, we don’t. But at all other times, we will be caring for you that way, in our quarters and other places as well. Remember, you are ours, little ward.”  
She sighed. Still, she had to admit it felt odd to cut her own meat after a weeks with her Kalquorians. She gazed around the shimmering room, fascinated. She was about to leave her home galaxy!  
She paused. “There are only two other women here.”   
Denar nodded. “There are actually four other Mataras on board. Assimilated Mataras, that is. There are two hundred and fifty others, but those Mataras stay in separate quarters.”  
“Assimilated? You’ve said that before. What does that mean?”  
He looked very serious. “Assimilated means they have accepted our culture and left their old ideas behind. All of the others who are assimilated are clanned, I believe.” He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. “Their clans and mine are the most fortunate men in this room. On board this ship. Our beautiful Earther women have chosen to open their hearts to us and welcome our ways.”  
She smiled but, of course, more questions bubbled up. “What about the others? The women who are not assimilated? What—”  
Denar held up his hand. “Later, little scholar. I will answer all your questions later. Right now, enjoy your meal.”  
“There’s no Dr. Pepper, though.” Kyrnis frowned in mock sorrow. “Thank Fortune.”  
She grinned. Two other men joined their table then, apologizing for their late arrival. One was tall and broad while the other, slightly younger looking one was wiry and slim. Both wore officers’ stripes and colors, of course. Both men bowed deeply. Denar introduced them.  
“Susannah, this is First Mate Captain Nobek Ansellis. Second in command to Captain Granin.” He nodded to the taller man.  
Kyrnis clapped a hand on the arm of the younger man with sandy hair. “And this is Lieutenant Commander Dramok Brekin. He is my superior in Engineering.”   
Denar gestured to Susannah. “Officers, allow me to introduce Matara Susannah Talcott.”   
The bigger man beamed at her, but he looked to Denar for permission to address her. Denar nodded.   
“Welcome, Matara!” he exclaimed. “We are honored to have you with us. I understand this is your first trip off-world.”  
“Yes, it is. I’m looking forward to the whole experience.”  
They took their places at the table. She caught Brekin exchanging glances with Denar, who again nodded in assent. The younger man turned her way.   
“We’ve heard you are a historian and an archivist.” Brekin smiled and shook out his napkin as he spoke. He had an interesting rasp to his voice, despite his youth. “We have a fine library and vid lab onboard. You are welcome to use them at any time.”   
She felt suddenly shy. “Th-that sounds wonderful. I’ve been enjoying access to the Source. It is very impressive.”  
“I have a special interest in Earther history.” Ansellis leaned toward her, eyes sparkling. “I’ve made a small study of the Medici family of your old world Italy. Do you know them?”  
“I know of them.” She smiled. “They were quite…colorful.”  
“Colorful. A very diplomatic description! Tell me, what do you think of old Lorenzo di Medici? Would you say he earned the title of Lorenzo the Magnificent?”  
Ah! This was something she could talk about, for sure. History, art, politics, She and Ansellis talked for several minutes. He shared one or two resources with her before a bell sounded from the head table. Admiral Raka rose, his glass in hand.   
“Officers, gentlemen, and most honored Mataras.” His voice rang out over the room, “Navigation Officer Commander Nobek Frent has informed me that we are underway!”  
Susannah glanced at Denar, wide-eyed. “I didn’t feel a thing!”  
He simply smiled and nodded toward the dais. There was warm applause, then the admiral spoke again. “We welcome all of our guests from Earth as well as our returning personnel from the Earth missions of our empire. As many of you know, this will likely be my last journey to this galaxy as I am being sent home to a desk job.”  
A ripple of amusement passed through the crowd and the admiral smiled. “Business aside, it is my great pleasure to introduce three very special passengers. May I present Matara Gwyneth Yeoh of Clan Hokset, Matara Julia Ortiz of Clan Erudavt, and Matara Susannah Talcott of Earth?”  
Susannah felt herself blushing to the roots of her hair as so many pairs of eyes were turned on her. She felt pinned as the admiral turned his laser-like gaze to her rather than the other women. She was the only unclanned assimilated Matara. She gulped, then felt Denar and Tynevek take her hands under the table. She squeezed them tight in gratitude as the welcoming applause swelled and then died away. Kyrnis gave her a nod and she relaxed. The admiral went on.  
“I won’t keep you all from your evening any longer. I simply want to say that our mission to Earth continues to be a success. I’ve been proud to serve aboard the ‘Dranisi’ for my final journey visit there.” He raised his glass of wine. “To the Empire! To Kalquor!”  
Everyone echoed his toast and clinked glasses around the tables. The music resumed and conversations rose once more. When their meal was finished, they lingered for a little while, then Denar rose and bid goodnight to the others at their table.   
“Brekin, I’ll see you in the morning?”  
“You will.” The handsome younger officer smiled warmly at Susannah and bowed from where he sat. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Matara Susannah. I hope you have a good voyage.”  
“Thank you.”   
With a hand at the small of her back, Denar guided Susannah out of the mess and Tynevek and Kyrnis fell into position just behind them. She heaved a great sigh of relief as the doors closed behind them. Denar lifted her hand to kiss it, his sharp eyes warm.   
“You did wonderfully, beauty.” Tynevek touched her shoulder. “That couldn’t have been easy, being among so many people all at once.  
“I don’t think anyone heard your knees knocking under the table,” Kyrnis drawled. She looked back and rolled her eyes at him. He laughed. “You were perfect, little one.”  
“You were the loveliest woman there,” Denar said.   
She giggled. “Not much competition. There were only three of us!”  
“And you put them all in the shade,” Tynevek said.  
Denar rubbed his hands together. “Let’s go have a little fun, shall we?”  
“Where to?” asked Kyrnis.   
“I thought the Star Lounge.”

C10, S2  
Susannah’s face looked glorious in the moonlight, Tynevek thought. The dimly-lit lounge on the observation deck featured a vast view of the deep space outside. They were already beyond Earth’s solar system, approaching the second of the three moons of Uilara. Its pale blue glow floated almost in the center of their view. Susannah gasped at the sight.  
“Oh, it’s wonderful! That’s not a vid, is it?” Denar shook his head. She drew a deep, joyous breath. “I can’t believe I’m actually out in space!”  
“You have been for going on two days now.” Denar grinned.   
“But not like this! I hardly got to see anything when we were on the shuttle.”  
“I’ll get us something to drink.” Kyrnis left to make his way to the service table.   
“Come, have a seat.” Tynevek took her hand and guided her to a bench that curved in a semi-circle facing the window-wall. Susannah sat down between him and Denar and leaned forward. Her eyes were bright.  
“How far out are we now? How fast are we going? Is there life on that moon?”  
Denar laughed and planted a huge kiss on her. She blinked. “Too many questions?”  
“No, sweet one. Just a little too fast for us, I think.”  
She smiled. “I could just sit back and enjoy the view, couldn’t I?”  
“It’s a thought.”  
Kyrnis returned with a bottle and four glasses. He poured Susannah a glass and Tynevek almost opened his mouth to protest. Then, he sat back to enjoy the sight of their beautiful Earther having her first taste of leshella by triple moonlight.   
She beamed at Kyrnis after her first sip. “Mmm. This is nice.” She tipped the glass back and drank deeply.   
“Slow down, little one.” Tynevek held out his hand as Kyrnis poured glasses for his clanmates. “That can sneak up on you.”  
“All right.” She kicked off her delicate silver sandals and drew her feet up under her. “This is better. Quiet. Just us and the moons.”   
She took another sip. Tynevek watched as she licked her lips afterward and at once he felt his sexes stir beneath his dress uniform. By the heavens, she was lovely. She’d put up her hair and one single, golden-bronze curl had escaped and was now caressing her cheek. She might have scoffed at the statement earlier, but she was, he knew, one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, anywhere. With her bright, inquisitive mind and her gentle nature, she was also the most desirable woman he’d ever met. He’d had sex with her many times but all it took was one small gesture, like licking her lips or looking up at him from under those long, golden lashes and he was ready to bury himself in her in a matter of seconds. Anyplace, any time, any way he could manage it. Sharing her with his clanmates was bliss, too. Amazingly, she didn’t seem to have a clue about how much power she held over them all, sexually and emotionally. They might be her guardians, they might dominate her in bed, but she was the one who roused them to it, who made everything sweet with both her fighting and her surrender. She made them feel like emperors every time she came. By giving them power over her, she ruled them. She challenged them with her quick mind and delighted them with her laughter. Having a woman at the center of their clan was unbelievably good, better than he’d ever imagined.   
He had fallen in love with her, sooner than he’d admitted to the others. He was so glad she was with them. But for how long? He knew Kyrnis wanted to clan her, but he saw Denar’s hesitation. He had a suspicion of why his Dramok was holding back, but he kept it to himself, uncertain how Denar might respond. As for himself, well, he couldn’t deny that he’d looked at those other two clans this evening with deep, almost biting envy.   
Other men on the ship had sent envious glances at all the clans with Mataras, of course. They knew that they were all going to have sex tonight, burying themselves in warm, soft female bodies. But he looked at those other two clans, the ones who had claimed and clanned their Mataras. They would have sex with their females tonight. But that wonderful act might result in a gloriously pregnant Matara. And a child.   
That would not be the outcome for his clan.  
This was torture. He wanted to kill at the very idea of Susannah with another clan. Yet he couldn’t commit his life to her without hope of ever having children. And he couldn’t bring himself to force her to bear a babe. The idea was repugnant and it went against the very idea of a loving family. The family he longed for.   
She tilted to the side and laid her head on his shoulder. One of her soft breasts pressed against his arm. Her scent was like a fang-bite to his system. He couldn’t be angry or resentful of his beauty. Maybe all it took was time?  
She sighed. “You look very handsome tonight. Did I tell you that?”  
He chuckled. “Several times. Not that I’m complaining.”  
She lifted her head up and gazed at him, her eyes wide and soft. “Uilara has three moons, doesn’t it?”  
“Five.”   
“Five moons looks very handsome tonight.”  
He glanced at her glass as she took another sip of her wine. The glass was full and he knew that she’d emptied it and Kyrnis had filled it right back up. She was going to be feeling very, very friendly in just about ten minutes.   
He leaned toward Denar. “We need to get her back to quarters.” Her hand slid up his thigh. “Now.”  
She downed the rest of her drink in one long swallow before he could intervene. She handed the empty glass to Kyrnis and stuck her tongue in Tynevek’s ear. He growled and tugged her gently to her feet.   
“Come, love.” He took her elbow. “Time to go home.”  
“Oh, that sounds nice.” She heaved a gusty, erotic sigh. “We have a very big bed, you know.”  
Kyrnis set down the bottle and the glasses and retrieved Susannah’s shoes. Denar took her other arm. They guided her quickly toward the exit.   
She cooed in Tynevek’s ear. “I’d love to suck your beautiful, handsome cocks.” He actually felt himself blush as he checked to make sure no one else had overheard. At the same time, the condition in his trousers was expanding.   
She turned her head to whisper to Denar. “And yours, too. Five cocks look very handsome tonight.”  
“Damn it, Kyrnis!” Tynevek let himself burst out when they were safely away from the lounge and on their way toward the elevator down to their quarters. He lowered his voice. “You know leshella can act fast, especially on someone who’s never had it before. Especially on an Earther female who’s already had wine tonight! Their body mass is much smaller than even a Kalquorian woman’s, so it’s more potent for them. Why did you let her have more?”  
“What’s wrong with helping our little one to feel even better, especially after she had to face all those people tonight? After she just left her home planet?”  
Denar waved his hand before the elevator control and the door opened. They pulled Susannah inside. She turned to Tynevek and ran her hands down his front. “I want you,” she said huskily. The doors closed and they began to descend. “I want all three of you.”  
“I’m surprised she doesn’t want all six of us,” Denar growled. “She’s probably seeing double. Listen.” He hit the button on the elevator panel, stopping it between decks. “It’s one thing to bring a Matara on board and for us to share her, in private. It’s another to rub the other men’s noses in it. You remember what it felt like when a clan brought a female and we had no one? Whenever we saw them touching, was it good?”  
Kyrnis looked abashed. “It sucked, as Susannah would say.”  
“Exactly. Let’s remember that. No public displays, with wine or not, understood? It isn’t just thoughtless, it could even be dangerous, particularly for Susannah, if someone decides he wants a taste of what we have.”  
Tynevek hugged her close at the thought of anyone harming Susannah—hell, at the very notion of someone outside the clan even touching her. A growl rose from deep in his chest. Evidently Susannah thought the sound of his anger and possessiveness was lust. She began to take off her dress.   
“No, no, no!” He fought to grab her quick little hands. “Not just yet, beauty. Let us get you home.”  
Denar moved to help him. “Am I understood?”  
“Understood.” Tynevek and Kyrnis spoke in unison.   
“Understood,” Susannah echoed them sweetly.   
Denar groaned. “And save the leshella for our quarters alone.”  
Fortunately, they didn’t meet anyone as they hustled the cooing, sighing female back to their rooms. Tynevek wanted to bolt the door and lean back on it, panting with relief but Susannah stood blocking the doorway as she stripped off her gown. He caught it as she tossed it into the air, and laid it across a chair back as he pulled her into the room. He waved a frantic hand, triggering the automatic door to shut.  
He looked at his clanmates, eyes wide as he caught her hands, trying to keep her from stripping off her panties. Their grins grew until they were howling with laughter as the doctor lost the battle and she wriggled out of the filmy little garment.   
Denar turned to his Nobek. “Great suns, I never thought I’d see Tynevek struggling to keep a woman inside her clothes!”   
“Uh, Imdiko?” Kyrnis drawled, still chuckling.   
Tynevek looked down to where Susannah was sinking to her knees before him.  
“Our sweet girl wants cock and she wants it now,” chortled Denar.  
Tynevek sighed dramatically. “Oh, well, since you’re down there, love.” He loosened his pants.   
The other two took seats in the living area and settled in to watch as Susannah ministered to him.   
“She’s pretty drunk. Aren’t we taking advantage of her?” he heard Denar ask Kyrnis. “Hell, yes we are. What else should we do? Pat her on the head and tuck her in for the night? She’d wear herself out trying to get relief and we’d be sitting around with aching hard-ons and stupid looks on our faces.”  
They burst into gales of laughter again. Tynevek didn’t join in. He was too busy banging his head back against the wall as his little love licked and suckled and pumped his cocks in the most perfect ways imaginable. It wasn’t long before he grabbed her head and held it while he came in her amazing, hot mouth. He roared and jerked and generally went insane as the sheer joy of it washed over him and her cries of pleasure twined with his.   
Oh, yes, he thought when he regained some semblance of coherent thought and lifted her up to kiss her soundly. Yes, they had better keep their little scholar to themselves. He would just have to be patient for the answer to his dilemma. In the meantime, there was a sleeping mat that awaited christening...  
The next morning, Susannah whispered in his ear. “Imdiko?”   
“Yes, love?”  
“I’m pretty sore.”   
“Ahh. Come here, beauty.”  
He scooped her up and, stepping around the various scattered toys, paddles, and restraints from last night’s play, carried her out of the bedroom to place her gently on the big lounge in the living area. He fetched his medical bag and knelt beside her.   
“Hold still, sweetling.” Gently, he spread her legs and examined her. He took an anesthetic cream and gently rubbed it all over her external flesh, then slipped a finger inside first her sheath and then her anus.   
She sighed and relaxed. “Oh, thank you. I’m okay, now.”  
He patted her hip. “Not just yet. You’re bruised mostly, but there’s a little very minor tearing, so I’m going to give you a pain-inhibitor and do a quick repair.”  
“Could you—could you do my breasts with that nice cream? I’m a little roughed up.”  
“Of course.” He saw to her needs and then packed away his kit. “I’m sorry you’re sore, sweet one.”  
“Oh, it was my own fault.” She tried to get up. He put a hand to her shoulder and pushed her back down. She groaned. “I shouldn’t have gone so crazy that last time with Kyrnis, followed by another session with all three of you.”  
“You seemed to be having a very good time.”   
“I was. I really was. It was like I couldn’t get enough of you.”  
“That was the leshella.”  
She frowned. “I’ve heard that word before. At the storehouse. It’s wine—ohhh. That’s what Kyrnis gave me to drink? That sneaky rat!” She winced. “Ooh. I think I have a hangover. Wow. So this is what one feels like.”  
Tynevek snickered. Only their Susannah would take a morning-after headache and add it to her list of first-time life learning experiences. “The pain inhibitor will only take another minute to kick in.”  
He went to the kitchen, found some juice and brought it to her. “Sip it slowly, in case your stomach’s in revolt.” He took a seat nearby.  
“What happens today?” She tasted her drink, waited, took another cautious sip.   
“You’re going to rest. I report to the infirmary, Denar to the bridge, and Kyrnis to Engineering and Navigation. We all have duties while we’re on board.”  
“What do you do in the infirmary?”  
“A little of everything. When I’m onboard ship, I have to be ready to treat all kinds of illness and injury because there aren’t enough of us to specialize.”  
“You have a specialty, yes?”  
“I do. I’m what Earthers would call a plastic surgeon.” His eyes were soft. “So many of the Earther Mataras have been mistreated, damaged, especially those who were placed in prisons and labor camps. Not mention the explosions. I want to help them, restore some of what was taken from them.”  
“Because they’re Kalquorians now?”  
“Yes, but mostly because we are all they have. We are part of the reason some of them have suffered.” He studied his hands for a moment. “I can’t stand what has been done to some of the women of your world. The neglect and the brutality. I want to do what I can to make things better.”  
She kissed him swiftly, tears edging her eyes. “You are my hero, Beast.”  
“What’s going on?” Kyrnis walked into the room, scratching his head and yawning. He squinted at the clock on the wall. “Is it really that late? Damn, what a night!” He came to kiss Susannah. “And how are you, little wild one?”  
She gave him a lopsided smile. “Better now.”   
“Now?” He glanced at Tynevek, then saw his medical kit. “What happened?”  
“It’s all right. Just a little battle-torn.” The Imdiko patted Susannah’s leg.  
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean—”  
She held up a hand. “I know you didn’t. I just got cocky—no pun intended—and took on more than I could handle.”  
“What can I do?” His stern face was anxious.   
She smiled. “Thank you. I’m really fine.” She blinked. “Although I’m kind of woozy. I wasn’t woozy before, Tynevek.”  
“I slipped a very mild sedative into your juice. I want you to stay put and really sleep while we’re gone.”  
“But you were up with me all night, too!”  
Denar’s laugh came from the kitchen. “But there’s only one of you and three of us. And we didn’t drink a boat-load of libido-juice last night.”  
She shook a finger at Kyrnis. “You’re very bad.” Then she closed her eyes and was out.  
Kyrnis gathered her up and took her into the bedroom. When he returned, he shook his head. “I really am bad.”  
Denar tilted his juice glass at his clanmate. “Yes, you are. Hope you’ve learned your lesson.”   
“I have.”  
Tynevek started to prepare morning meal. “We have to talk to her tonight, when we get back from duties. She’s not going to like all the rules but it’s for her own safety.”   
Denar nodded. “And our peace of mind. Thanks for patching her up, Imdiko. It’s really too bad she was sore this morning. She doesn’t deserve to hurt.”  
They all nodded. Then, they all exchanged glances and began to grin.   
“Look at the bite marks on you!”  
“Well, you should see the claw marks on your back!”  
“Ohh, damn, I’m pretty sure she took everything I had and even my backup reserves. It’s going to take me all day to even raise the flag!”  
Tynevek broke in sternly. “Still, we have to make sure she knows the rules.”  
“Absolutely.”   
“Our clan’s Matara must be safe,” Kyrnis said firmly.   
There was an awkward silence. Denar gave his Nobek a pointed look. “She’s not our clan’s Matara.”   
Tynevek felt fresh pain.  
“She could be,” Kyrnis said.  
Denar looked at Tynevek. “What do you say, my Imdiko? Now that we know she loves us and we love her, should we clan her?”  
Tynevek’s face darkened. He couldn’t help his feelings and they spilled out.   
“No. No, dammit! I love her but I won’t do it. I’ll never clan any woman who refuses to accept my seed!”  
He spun around and strode to the sleeping room. He stood, chest heaving, for a long moment, trying to get himself under control.   
A favorite image came to him. Three tall men, tossing a little boy from one to the other. The boy was laughing uncontrollably as he sailed high in the air and was caught, unerringly, in their safe, strong hands. His mother stood nearby, anxious, but also laughing as Tynevek flew from father to father to father.  
I want that, he thought, fists clenched. I’m so proud of my clanmates; they’re the best men I know. I want them to be fathers with me. By the ancestors, we’re Kalquorian! If we clan females who refuse to mate with us and bear our children, what will happen to the future of our race?  
He looked down and saw Susannah, asleep in their bed, her glossy hair fanned out on the pillow around her, one perfect breast ready to peek out over the coverlet. Damn. There was no denying that she was entirely precious to him. How could he reject her? If they clanned with another woman, would he regret that he hadn’t clanned the one woman he truly loved?  
Which would it be: regret that he’d lost the love of his life? Or regret that he’d clanned his lover but missed out on fatherhood? What a horrible choice.   
He was driving himself crazy with this problem. He summoned his composure and readied himself for his first day on the job in the Dranisi’s medical bay. Maybe work would restore his balance.   
Work did help, he found. There were two new Earther babies on the ward and he enjoyed checking them over and chatting with their mothers. Yes. It was decided. He wanted a real family, children and all. He returned to their quarters feeling confident that he’d been right to refuse to clan Susannah. He would enjoy her company for the time being, and then, when they arrived home, return to his old life and work with his clan to find a Matara who wanted children. He was back in balance.  
It wasn’t long, though, before that balance was knocked sideways once again. A matter of days, in fact.  
“Most of all, stay in contact with us.” Kyrnis squeezed Susannah’s hand. “You have a com link now and you can reach us almost anywhere onboard if you need us.”  
They were seated on cushions around the dining table after evening meal. Kyrnis was outlining the rules for her stay onboard the transporter. The other two looked very serious. Tynevek, in fact, looked clearly upset by the conversation.  
Susannah frowned at the Nobek. “You make it sound like every man on the ship is ready to rape me. You Kalquorians are in better control than that.”  
“Maybe we are and maybe we aren’t. But for you, my love, there are special circumstances.” Denar raised a finger. “First and foremost, you are our Susannah, our ward, and we will never take chances with your safety. Second, you are not just a beautiful, desirable female. You are an assimilated Earther female, which means they know you like having sex. No screaming terrors or cringing shame like with the other Earther women. You have also received benefits that are not usually offered to unclanned Mataras. Finally—just that: you are not clanned. That can mean, to some, that you are fair game, despite our guardianship.” His face was grave. “We don’t want you to be frightened, but the idea of a willing young female can go past the men’s brains, their manners, and their training, and straight to their cocks.”  
“It’s also a concern that other men might be angry or jealous and want to get back at us for having a woman like you.” Tynevek’s gentle eyes were anxious. “You are a rarity.”  
She looked at him carefully. He’d seemed calm and cheerful when he’d arrived back at their rooms after his shift. Now, he looked distressed and fearful.   
She turned to Kyrnis. “Everyone’s been very nice to me so far.”   
“That’s because you’ve always been with our clan. Any expressions of affection must also be kept strictly inside our quarters. Outside, it’s like throwing fuel on a fire. So many men go without females that it can be seen as an insult. I apologize to you and to Denar and Tynevek for giving you leshella while we were out in public. It was a stupid risk. I am ashamed to have endangered you, Susannah, and my clan.”  
She nodded. “I understand, love. You just wanted me to have fun and relax. Don’t beat yourself up, please.”  
“So, outside: no touching, no displays of affection.” Kyrnis crossed his arms with a firm nod.  
Denar’s eyes gleamed. “Inside, you will be demonstrative and affectionate and available to your men at every moment. In fact, we may just fasten you naked to the bed. That way we can be sure your beautiful body is open and ready for us at all times and not out wandering the corridors getting other men aroused.”  
“That’s pretty medieval.” She arched an eyebrow.   
“You like medieval men.” His hand went stealing up her thigh and sliding beneath the hem of her shift. “Your romance stories are full of knights and castles.”  
“Seriously,” she said over the shiver he gave her by tickling at her mound, “are you aware that you sound a lot like Earther men with all these rules and dictates?”  
Denar hissed and drew back, scowling ferociously. For an instant, she thought he would bare his fangs at her.  
“We are not like them,” he spat. “They want their women to feel terrible about being female or having an interest in sex. They think women want to be raped and shamed and they punish them if they are raped. They imprison and torture and even execute women for being normal and healthy. They want sex but do not care if their partners are satisfied. They expect their Mataras to work like dogs. They deny them education. Earther males are weak and stupid. They don’t take care of their women. They don’t respect them. Our Mataras are at the very center of our lives, cherished, and protected, and honored!”  
“We don’t set these rules so you will feel bad about yourself, little one,” Kyrnis added, more gently. “We just want to protect you from this situation. We would not survive anything happening to you. My Dramok, you may not tie her to the bed all day long.”  
“What?” Denar, already angry, went dark red at the order.   
“Tie her to the bed when we’re around so we can enjoy her like that. There’s no point in tying her up if I’m not able to be here to taste her and tease her and make her scream.” Kyrnis smiled beatifically and Susannah couldn’t suppress a giggle.  
“Oh, so you think this is amusing?” Denar growled at her, softening to playfulness. “Where are those manacles?” he asked of no one in particular.   
“Please, Susannah. Kyrnis is right.” Tynevek’s brows were drawn. “Please say you will accept these rules or we will be worried about you day and night.”  
“You wouldn’t let them tie me up all day, would you?” She looked up at him from under her lashes, flirting. “You wouldn’t be that mean.”  
He took her shoulders and faced her squarely. “Listen to me. If I thought it was the best way to protect you, I would lock you in the brig every minute of every day until we got you safely home.” His eyes were inky-purple and his voice harsh. “Kyrnis isn’t joking. If anything happened to you we would die.”  
She grew serious under his potent gaze. She put her hand to his cheek and nodded. “I love you, too. And I’ll be very careful to follow your rules. Thank you, my loves.” She addressed the whole clan. “You really are my knights in shining formsuits.”  
Tynevek swept her up for a hug that turned quickly into fast, hungry sex, right there on the cushions. The other two cheered and offered advice and commentary, then fell silent in awe as their gentle Imdiko raged against their woman, holding her desperately close and pounding into her as if he could make her part of his body.   
Susannah understood. Tynevek was genuinely frightened for her. She recalled what Denar had told her, that all three of Tynevek’s fathers had been killed in one terrible accident. He knew what it meant to lose someone dear to him and she couldn’t blame him if he needed to be protective. She sensed that if he could, he’d have her with him, right inside him even, in order to keep her safe. But was there something more that troubled him?   
He gave her no chance to think further as he brought her, screaming. She was lost in the maelstrom of her climax, clinging to the Imdiko who held her like he feared she might vanish in the next instant. Her body and mind separated and all she knew was glory—hot, hard, passionate glory.  
When he and she finally returned to consciousness, she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear. “I promise, my beloved. I will obey you.”  
“Susannah.” He touched her face, anguish in his beautiful eyes. “Susannah, you are as precious to us as our own lives. More. No matter what, I would give my life to protect you. Don’t forget.”   
She basked in their concern and their protectiveness. No, she wasn’t happy about the new rules but she understood them and she meant to obey her guardians.  
The next day, as she was returning from the ship’s store, she met Dramok Ansellis in the corridor. He grinned ebulliently.  
“Matara Susannah!” He bowed. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”  
“Dramok. It’s good to see you, too.” She shifted her shopping bag. He was nearly as big as Kyrnis but where Kyrnis was stern and taciturn outside of their quarters, as befitted a Nobek, Ansellis was jovial and expansive.  
“Allow me to carry that for you.” He reached for her bag. “Are you on your way to your quarters?”  
“No.” She surrendered the bag, knowing that few Kalquorian males could abide seeing a Matara carrying a burden while they were near. It was easier not to argue with them, and it was a small, gallant little quirk. “I was going to stop at a beverage kiosk and get a coffee.” She smiled. “I’m so glad the ship is well-stocked. We Earthers consider it an essential food.”  
“There’s one just down the hall. I’ll walk with you.”  
“Oh, no, you must have work to do!”   
He laughed. “I do, but they’ll manage without me for a few minutes. Don’t tell that to my bridge crew, though.”  
He matched his long strides with her shorter ones, beaming. He really was the most cheerful person she’d known for a long, long time.   
They approached the kiosk and Ansellis insisted on paying for her drink. “No, don’t thank me. First Mate’s perquisite,” he said, conspiratorially. “I have a pass code for the meal kiosks. That way, there’s never a chance someone as exalted as myself could go hungry or thirsty.” He puffed out his chest, mockingly.   
She laughed, accepted the drink and sat with him at one of the tall tables around the kiosk, where someone could stand and eat, but not settle in and relax.   
“It keeps people on the job when they should be,” Ansellis said when she remarked on the setup. “Now, Matara, how are you finding life onboard so far?”  
“It’s amazing! I still can’t fathom how far we’ve already traveled. And this ship is more like a city than a vessel.”  
“Dranisi is considered a luxury liner, as you Earthers would say. The Admiral’s presence onboard demands it. But, of course we have guests such as yourself and the other Mataras traveling with us, so this ship is outfitted for maximum comfort and safety.” He sipped his cup of steamed oteafruit juice. She could smell its unique green, bitter aroma. “Your clan must be grateful to have secured transport on this vessel.”  
She hesitated. They weren’t her clan, technically, of course. And it went without saying that if she were a clanned Matara, Ansellis would have had to secure Denar’s permission to be here with her at all—it was his due as Dramok. But should she correct her cheery companion for using the words “your clan?”  
“I won’t keep you long, Matara.”Ansellis was looking at her with consideration. “But I wanted to let you know that we have had a download of vid files from Kalquor documenting the area around the K’al sea. You expressed interest in that region, yes?”  
“I did. Oh, I would love to see them. Will they be accessible to a passenger?”  
“I’m sure your clan can secure that for you. Kyrnis crosses from engineering to communications from time to time as he is needed. I’m sure he could secure access for his Matara.”  
His Matara. She wasn’t— She shook herself and returned her attention to the First Mate. “I will ask them, you can count on it.” She smiled. “Thank you for telling me.”  
“My pleasure.” He rose. “Sadly, pleasure is fleeting. I must get back to the bridge. Who knows what crisis might have erupted without my sterling presence.” He squinted. “Is sterling the correct word?”  
She chuckled. “It’s one of them. It’s derived from an old English word for a star of silver, a very precious metal on Earth.”   
“Leave it to such a learned Matara to know!” He bowed. “I hope to see you again soon, Matara Susannah. My greetings to your clan.”  
She watched the First Mate as he strode away. He was good company—learned, respectful, good humored. Another nice Kalquorian.   
She frowned. Had he been at the base while they were on Earth? For one moment, it seemed she recalled something about him. She snickered. It was just silly. She wasn’t going to fall into the trap of thinking what she knew some Earthers thought of Kalquorians with their somewhat uniform coloring and size. “All Kalqs look alike,” they said. That certainly wasn’t true. And when she thought about it, she couldn’t place him anywhere except on board “Dranisi.”   
She finished her coffee and strolled down the corridor to the access elevator that would take her to their quarters. A group of Kalquorian males and two Earther females approached. She felt shy of so many people at once and kept her eyes down as they passed. She guessed they were members of the two clans who had clanned and assimilated Mataras. She heard a soft laugh as they walked.  
“…not really a Matara?” A woman’s voice floated back to her.   
A male voice replied softly. “Just a ward. Not a clanmate. Not the same, my Matara.”  
She picked up her pace, leaving their whispers behind, but she couldn’t unhear their words. Not the same. She was neither fish nor fowl, she thought, frowning. She had been thinking she might even make friends with these women, as it seemed to her they had a common bond. Not common enough, evidently. She was not one of them, not a real Matara. She might love her guardian clan, and they might love her, but to some, it seemed, that meant nothing, despite her assimilation.  
Her clan. Their Matara. There were so many rules of etiquette and so many situations which called for particular behaviors. She wasn’t a savage, she had manners, but she was still an outsider in this culture. Even to insiders of her own species.   
The clan been very adamant about their rules the previous night. Tynevek had been almost frantic for her safety. And yet, if they were so concerned for her, why didn’t they offer to clan her? Wouldn’t that be a way to help keep her safe?  
She dismissed the thought as unworthy. She was lucky to be with them, to be their chosen ward, to be their lover, even for the duration of the voyage to Kalquor. She was happy and proud to be with them. That was enough, she thought, as she sailed inside their quarters. There was no reason to expect or demand more. She was good. 

C10, S3   
Their fifth day out, they hit an unanticipated asteroid cluster. They had long since left her home galaxy and the one they currently traversed was younger in many places and still whirling at its planets. The big ship rocked and rolled but a small chunk of one hit “Dranisi’s” hull, causing it to be grazed by a much larger one. Susannah was knocked from her stool in the officer’s mess. Her head banged on the floor and she blanked out. Denar swooped her up and had her in the medical bay in a matter of a moments. Chief Medical Officer, Dramok Doctor Greln, hurried up to examine her. Susannah came to with his big, careful hands gently sealing up the split in her forehead.  
“What happened?”   
Denar squeezed the hand he was clutching. His face had an ashen look. “You fell.” He kissed her palm. “I’m sorry, Susannah. It was so sudden. I failed to catch you.”  
“An asteroid hit us and we overcorrected into another.” Greln talked as he worked. “You’re not the only one who got bumped about, Matara.”  
She gave Denar a weak smile. “So, it’s true? You aren’t the one who controls the entire universe?”  
He touched her cheek. “No, I am. But I need to have a talk with the idiots on the bridge. Granin evidently didn’t see the asteroids I set out last time I passed through this quadrant.”  
She chuckled and then winced. “Wow.” She touched the bump on her forehead. “That’s some goose egg.”   
Greln and Denar looked at her blankly. She sighed. “Geese are large Earth birds. They lay large eggs. I have a bump—never mind. My head really hurts, Doctor Greln.”  
“I would imagine so. You have a concussion.”  
Denar hissed. Footsteps pounded outside the exam space and Tynevek burst in. His eyes went wide at the sight of her bloodied face. He went immediately to examine her.  
“What happened? How are you, Susannah?” He scowled. “What hit you?”  
“I’m fine. Dramok Greln has taken perfect care of me. We tripped on one of Denar’s goose eggs and I went over like Humpty Dumpty.”  
“She’s concussed, Doctor.” Greln put his tools aside. “Very mildly. She’s a little addled. I think.”  
“Denar?”  
Denar nodded, looking miserable. “I was with her in the mess. She was sitting on a stool and when the ship veered, she fell. I’m sorry, my Imdiko. I had turned away for a moment and wasn’t able to catch her in time.”  
“She only needed one tiny repair stitch and I’ve already injected the regenerative material to heal up the cut. She won’t even have a scar.” Greln shooed Tynevek back a step and began to clean some of the blood off her face with a sterile wipe. “Your Imdiko has no doubt told you that you have almost perfect skin, Matara,” he said conversationally. “Almost no ultraviolet damage.”  
“Why, thank-you, Doctah. Ah nevah go out without mah parasol.”  
Three blank looks now. Okay, so Scarlett O’Hara was not an apt reference. She waved a hand. “Trying to make a joke.” She suddenly blinked at the doctor, then at Denar and Tynevek. “Am I in the medical bay? What happened to my head?”  
Greln patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Just a goose bump.”   
She stared, confused. Denar stepped in. “Can we take her back to quarters now, Greln?”  
“Surely. Keep an eye on her for the next few hours. She’ll be fine. You have pain inhibitors, yes, Tynevek?”  
“I do.”  
Denar gently gathered her into his arms and they left the med bay, Tynevek holding her hand and checking her eyes the whole way back to their quarters. She cried out in dismay when she saw the mess left by the asteroid incident. It looked like everything in the room had slid into the port side wall.   
“You’re not to worry, little scholar.” Denar headed for the sleeping room. “Everything will be taken care of.”  
“But—oh, holy cats.”  
The bedroom had exploded, it seemed. Cupboards and closets had popped open and their contents were strewn across the room. Tynevek swept everything off the bed and Denar set her down, propping her against some pillows. She winced at the slight jostling.   
“Please forgive me, Matara.” Denar kissed her hand. “I’m so sorry I let you fall.”  
She stroked his cheek. He looked so guilty and upset. “It’s all right, my love. It was just an accident.”   
Kyrnis came in, his eyes going wide at the sight of blood on Susannah’s blouse. He snarled, eyes flashing. “Who hurt our scholar?”  
“It was the floor in the officers’ mess.” She reached for his hand. “I sat on the wall and bam! Goose bumps.”  
Kyrnis looked alarmed. Tynevek shook his head. “She’s been shaken up. Mild concussion. She just needs to rest.”  
Kyrnis turned back to her. “What are goose bumps, sweet girl?”   
“When you get scared, they show up on your arms.”  
“Here.” Tynevek injected a pain inhibitor into the crook of her elbow, then offered her a cup of water. “Drink up, beauty. Then rest.”   
She took a few sips, then handed it back to Tynevek. Denar began to tug at her blouse. She gave a gusty sigh. “Oh, I love you, Denar, but I really, truly do have a headache.”  
“I know, sweetness.” He chuckled. “And as beguiling as you are with a big bandage on your head and blood in the roots of your hair and eyebrows, I think I can control myself. I just want to get this off of you and get you cleaned up so you can rest.”  
“Oh. Thank you.”   
Her big, mean Dramok removed her blouse and bra like he was handling butterfly wings, then took a warm cloth and gently cleaned her face and neck. He kissed her ever so lightly on the tip of her nose and motioned for her to remove her pants. He gave her breasts a quick stroke, then pushed her gently down. She sighed as he tucked a light coverlet up to her chin. He gazed down at her, his voice warm and tender. “Get up from this bed before Tynevek or I give you permission, Susannah, and you’ll find yourself spanked and in manacles before you can blink.”  
“Promises, promises.” She closed her eyes.  
“Who the hell is Humpty Dumpty?” she heard Tynevek ask as she hovered between waking and sleep.   
“Damned if I know. I remember her telling me something about a Goose Mother,” Denar said. “Maybe that’s what all the talk about gooses and eggs was all about.”   
“What does that have to do with our scholar hurting her head?” Kyrnis demanded.   
Tynevek chuckled. “It’s another sweet Susannah mystery. Go back on duty. I’ll stay with her.”  
Susannah woke to a delicious fragrance. She sat up as Tynevek came in carrying a tray with several small dishes on it.   
“I’m so hungry! Thank you.”  
He set the tray on the far side of the big bed, then took a seat beside her. “How are you feeling?” He shone a light into her eyes, checking her pupils. “Is your head still hurting?”  
“Only a little. Is that really chicken soup?”   
He nodded. “Cook brought some chicken on board for the Mataras. I asked him what Earthers eat when they’re sick or injured and he said his cooking resources all talked about a soup made from hen meat.”  
She smiled. “It’s good for whatever ails you. We call it comfort food.”  
He smiled back as he took up the bowl of fragrant soup. “Then it’s perfect. I want my beauty to be comforted.”  
She accepted a few spoonfuls, her eyes closing in bliss. “Mmm. Your cook is a genius.”  
“Chickens lay eggs, don’t they?” His look was cautious.   
She giggled. “Yes. Just a lot smaller than goose eggs. Humpty Dumpty was a character in a nursery rhyme. He was a great big egg and he fell off a wall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again. I fell and banged my head, which gave me lump that was like a goose egg, and I thought of Humpty Dumpty. See? It’s all connected.”  
He nodded, still looking uncertain. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Trust me. I’m fine, my beast. It’s not another Susannah mystery.”  
He smirked. “You heard that, did you?”  
“None of you respects your female,” she said tartly.  
He caressed the bare breast that had peeked out over the coverlet. “No, we don’t. We just adore her.”  
“Feed me, beast.”  
He plied her with soup and bread and a genuine chocolate chip cookie. She savored the treat. He removed her bandage and nodded with satisfaction. “Greln did a good job. You can hardly see it.”  
“You’re the plastic surgeon. You would know.” She wiped her lips with a napkin, “Now, let’s get this place cleaned up.”  
Tynevek rose, the tray in his hands. He looked down at her, one brow raised, Denar-style. “Manacles, Matara. Wrists and ankles. And a paddling. Don’t think I won’t.”  
She slumped back into the pillows, pouting.  
“I’ll start in here, first. That way we can keep each other company.”  
He came back from putting away the food. He gave her a kiss, licked one of her nipples because, after all, it was there, making her giggle. He then proceeded to tidy the room Kalquorian style: at top speed. He came to a halt by her clothes closet, which had slid out from its pocket in the wall. He leaned over and picked up something square. Before she realized what he’d found, he had the lid off and was staring down at the contents.   
“Tynevek, please just put it back.”  
She felt her cheeks heating. Tynevek carried the box to the bed. He sat by her and one by one, lifted out the contents and laid them on the bed around them. He stared at the objects, then looked at her in confusion. “What are these?”  
She fell silent.  
“You said there were romance novels in this box, Susannah. Why would you lie to us?”  
She looked away, then glanced back, waving a hand over the scattered items. “They’re things I’ve been collecting. They’re very rare. I didn’t want to take a chance that they might not survive in the storehouse while it was sealed.”  
He nodded. “What are these, precious girl?”   
“Toys, obviously.”  
He picked up a small wooden puzzle. Each of the pieces was cut into the shape of an Earther animal: giraffe, elephant, others he didn’t recognize. They were brightly painted but had clearly been handled many times. He looked at her. She shrugged. “Puzzle.”  
He lifted a soft leather bag and untied the drawstrings. He emptied the contents into his hand. Tiny spiked objects were scattered around a sparkly pink ball. She met his questioning look.   
“Kurbel, Matara?”  
“Jacks. Hardly any left these days.”  
“Ah. And this little book?”  
“The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. Beatrix Potter. Very old. Very valuable.”  
“I see.”   
He fingered a doll in a purple dress, a stuffed bird, and a set of tiny china cups and saucers. He scooted back so he was seated beside her. He stared at the toys. “What are these, really, Susannah?”  
She huffed. He was sounding like a broken record, as her papa used to say. “Okay, okay. They’re things I found in a donation box a couple of years ago and I just liked them. They reminded me of my childhood.”  
He lifted the puzzle and looked on the back. “Ah, yes. This is a rare donation.” He showed it to her. “It says ‘Susannah Talcott.’ A child’s handwriting.”  
He set it down and pulled her into his lap. His big arms wrapped around her and he kissed her cheek. “What are these, my scholar?”  
“They’re toys from when I was a little girl.” She couldn’t meet his eyes.   
“And you kept them.”  
“Yes. Sure. Everyone has something from when they were a kid. Teddy bears, a toy rocket ship, a baseball glove.”  
“You save things for the future, Curator. Is that why you have these?”  
“Of course.”  
“Whose future?”  
She shifted on his lap. She’d never wanted any of the clan to see her toys. She’d never wanted to speak of them. His lips pressed against her temple. He was warm and she felt so safe in his lap, in his arms. But she didn’t dare tell him. It was too...dumb.  
“Have you been saving these for your children?” His voice was so gentle.   
She shook her head. “No, I—” She looked up and saw his purple eyes gazing at her with complete love. And wisdom. “Maybe.”  
“But you don’t want children.”   
She nodded. He caressed her cheek with the back of one finger. “Why don’t you want children, beloved?”  
She lunged but his hold was like iron around her. She squirmed. “I already told you. Now, let me go.”  
“I have not given my permission for you to leave this bed. If Denar comes home and finds I’ve let you up, he’ll be very angry with me.”  
“Right. And I know how frightened you are of Denar. He adores you.”  
“Why don’t you want children?”  
“Grr! I don’t have to answer that!”  
“No. But won’t you anyway, my beauty?” A big warm hand covered her breast and began to gently knead it.   
She whimpered. “No fair.”  
“I am your friend. Your lover.” His lips were against her hair. “Have I ever given you reason to mistrust me?”  
Damn him. He knew there was no way she could deny that he was the most honorable and trustworthy man she’d ever known. “That’s pretty low.”   
He chuckled and smoothed her hair. “I know. My Dramok and my Nobek aren’t the only ones who understand the art of war. Imdikos just use it differently. Now, tell me about children, Curator. Teach me about Susannah and why she’s kept toys for babies she never intends to have.”  
No! No, she couldn’t! Tears rose up, choking her. He set her gently aside, turned to face her. He was waiting.   
Oh, god.

C10, S4  
Tynevek watched her tear up and burst into long, strangled sobs. He was startled. He hadn’t expected such a powerful reaction. He’d been thinking she was just embarrassed that he’d discovered she’d been so sentimental about her toys. He took her hand and held it, quietly, willing all his love to show in his eyes. She was his true love, his friend. He saw the suffering in her face and he ached. This was far more than embarrassment.   
He thought about biting her. He thought about forcing her. He thought about using a mind-guiding technique. But more than anything, he wanted her to tell him because she chose to. Because she trusted him. And because his beauty looked so utterly miserable it hurt his heart.  
“I had just turned five,” she began, slapping at her tears.  
He could hear the anger in her voice. She was mad at herself for breaking her own silence. Yet she was talking. He kept quiet to listen to her story.  
“I was playing hide and seek with Lena and Colin and Brett. I wasn’t very good at finding, even though I could count to a hundred very quickly…”

Susannah skipped along the corridor on the way to the greenhouse. She thought maybe Colin could be hiding in among the plants. She’d catch him this time and yell “One two three on Colin!” and he’d have to be It. She stopped to peek into the pool and the gym but there was no one swimming or exercising. She didn’t see anyone hiding, either. She tracked along the gardens and then she heard her papa’s voice. He was yelling.   
It must be his grouchy time of day, she thought. I’ll pick a fresh tomato and take it to him and he won’t be so grouchy. That’s what Mama says. He needs food at his grouchy time. Then he’ll be friendly again.   
She snapped the red orb off the the vine, sniffing the sharp, tangy scent of the broken stem. She wiped the tomato off on her T-shirt as she went toward the place where she heard Papa’s voice. She barely noticed the sign on the door with the red cross on the white background. She carried the tomato carefully and waved her hand for the door to open.   
It hissed apart and she went through. Papa’s voice sounded madder than she’d ever heard it. She heard someone talking to him very low and fast. She frowned. What was Mrs. Tibbley saying to her papa to make him more grouchy than ever? Even she knew not to try to talk to him until he’d had some food.   
She went around the corner and peeked into the room. Papa and Mrs. Tibbley were arguing, their words going too fast for her to understand.   
A moan rose up from behind the curtain near them. It kept rising and getting louder until it ended on a terrible wail. Papa’s face was very white as he yanked aside the curtain and went to stand over a tall sort of bed-chair. She knew someone was in the bed: she could see bare feet. Mrs. Tibbley, the nurse, bustled around in her green scrub uniform and stood near those feet. She was talking very low and firmly.   
Another terrible wail. It was scary like the banshee yell she’d heard in a vid she’d watched with Lena and Brett. She’d had bad dreams all night after that vid. She held her tomato, still warm from the growth-lighting in the garden, and clapped her free hand over one ear.   
It didn’t help much. The wail became a shriek and then some panting, like someone had been running and couldn’t catch their breath. Papa murmured something, but as the shriek died away, he began to shout.   
“Can’t you stop it? There has to be a way to stop it!”  
“Leon, I’m trying.” Mrs. Tibbley sounded upset. “Hold her, now. I’m going to try to turn it.”  
Susannah backed away as more shrieks rose. She moved around to the other side of the curtain. She peeked in through the slit between two curtains and saw Mrs. Tibbley bending over the table. The hand she laid on top of the blue sheet was covered in blood. Susannah looked at the floor and saw blood in a puddle near the grownups’ feet.   
She heard the screams again, and then Papa was saying a lot of bad words, all in a row. She wanted to run away but she couldn’t. Something important was happening and she needed to know what it was.   
“There! I’ve got it turned, Leon. Livvy, hon, it’s going to be all right.”  
Livvy. That was Mama’s name.   
“Leon, get behind her. Support her.”  
Papa moved and Susannah gaped. It was Mama, with her big tummy that was holding her new baby brother. He was supposed to come next month, Mama had told her. She would be a big sister. She hadn’t been too sure she liked that, but Mama and Papa seemed very happy about it. Why was Mama on this bed-thing, with her bare feet and Mrs. Tibbley and Papa shouting at her?  
“Push, Livvy!” Papa said. “I know you’re tired, darling, but you can do this. The baby has to come now.”  
“I’m trying!” Mama’s voice was so scared-sounding.   
Then she screamed again and grunted and yelled some bad words. Susannah had never heard Mama say a swear. Papa was behind her and she was gripping the arms of the bed-chair, her hands and arms slicked with sweat. Her mother’s pretty hair, red with gold lights, was matted to her forehead, dark and wet. Mama was the prettiest woman in the storehouse, but she was very, very white right now and her mouth was making her teeth show like one of the big stuffed cats in the natural history exhibit.  
“One more!” Mrs. Tibbley cried. “Push, Livvy. This should do it!”  
Her mama’s groan built to a yell and then a wailing howl. She saw Mrs. Tibbley move fast and Mama gasped like she had been stuck with a big pin. She fell back into Papa’s arms. Mrs. Tibbley fiddled with something wrapped in a blanket in her hands.  
“How is he?” Papa asked Mrs. Tibbley.   
She turned away from Mama and Papa and carried the bundle to the next room.   
“He’s too quiet.” Mama was sobbing. “Why don’t I hear him?”  
“Shh, it’s all right, honey. Rest now. You’ve done so well, my darling.”  
Papa’s voice sounded funny, like he had a bad cold. Mama was quiet then. She must be resting, like Papa told her to, Susannah thought.   
Mrs. Tibbley came slowly back to the bed. She didn’t have the bundle with her. She shook her head at Papa and Papa cried out, loud.   
“Livvy, it’s going to be all right. We can try again. We have time.” His hands were petting Mama’s head. Was Papa crying?  
“Livvy?” Mrs. Tibbley’s voice was sharp. “Quick, Leon, get me that pack behind you!”  
Then there was a blur of motion as Mrs. Tibbley worked around Mama and the bed-chair. Papa kept saying Mama’s name, over and over.   
There was more blood coming onto the floor. Susannah felt sick.   
“Dammit, Ellen, this shouldn’t be happening! This isn’t the Dark Ages!”  
“I’m trying, Leon. But she’s weak and there was tearing—”  
Mama whispered something.   
“No, Livvy, don’t you dare! Livvy, goddammit, you can’t leave me! Don’t give up, it’s going to be all right!”  
Susannah lost track of how long she stood there. She saw Mrs. Tibbley attaching bags of blood to her Mama. She heard her Papa begging and crying. She saw more bloody rags dropping to the floor. Then, there was a quiet alarm that went off near the bed. Papa howled and clutched Mama very tight.   
“I’m so sorry.” Mrs. Tibbley kept saying it over and over. “I’m so, so sorry.”  
Susannah knew something very bad had happened. She had to get away. She slipped back and ran for the door, her soft shoes making no noise as she ran. She raced blindly up the stairs, shoved through some doors into a dim room. A lot of dark velvet surrounded her. She sank to the floor and put her head down and stared at her hand. She still cradled her tomato. She let it roll off her lap and began to shake…


	11. Chapter 11

ALIEN RESCUE—Fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER ELEVEN

C11, S1  
“You ran away.” Tynevek’s voice was deeper than usual. “Poor little girl.”  
Susannah sobbed, her tears simply running down her cheeks and onto her chest. “They found me the next day, hiding behind the draperies in the Colonial room. My little brother was dead, I learned later. Stillborn. Mama had hemorrhaged too heavily and she had died, too. She might have lived if she was in a hospital but there was no time to go up above.”  
Tynevek moved to her and lifted her into his lap again. “And you saw it all.” He wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking and she felt so fragile in his arms. He fought back his own tears.   
“The others took care of me as best they could, but Papa was lost in his own pain.” She clung to his arm around her waist. “By the time I was old enough to discover what had happened to my Mama, well, I had put it to the back of my mind, the way children do, I guess. I had to take care of Papa. And the Collection.”  
“But you remembered enough to decide you were never going to have children.”   
She nodded. “When Earth’s state-religion became even more repressive, my resolve grew stronger. Our planet was becoming more and more polluted. Resources were dwindling even as the population grew. There were small wars everywhere as people fought to get more. When all out war with—with Kalquor hit, well, that was it.”  
She looked up at him, her lovely eyes swimming in tears, but her chin was lifted high. “I am never going to risk the horror that my mama went through. I never want the experience of a newborn that never cries. And I will not risk a child to this sick, insane world that made things so bad it allowed my mama to die in an underground storehouse!”  
Tynevek longed to give in to his own grief, to weep with his precious lover. She had been through so much in her short life! She was made of steel, his Susannah, tempered in fire. But there was still more that he wanted to know.  
“And the toys and book and the puzzle?”  
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I just wanted them, like I told you. They’re important, somehow. It makes me feel better when they’re nearby.”  
He was quiet for a long time, and she began to relax, her tears easing. Then he kissed her hair and cuddled her closer still.   
“Sweetling. These toys that you rescued. You’ve carried them all the way up here into space, even when you could have taken other items with you. Let me ask you this: might it also be they’ve carried something for you?”  
“What do you mean?” Her voice was rough from crying.   
“Our subconscious minds are funny things.” He stroked her hair. “They get us to do things we don’t understand, sometimes. You may not be able to accept it, my beloved, but couldn’t it be that these toys carried your hope? The hope that someday, things might be all right? Be safe and sane again?”  
Susannah went still in his arms. She was quiet for a long time, then, silently, she nodded. “Maybe.” She was crying again, but this time they were not the rough, agonizing tears of pain but the softer sounds of relief and simple sadness.   
He shifted her to one side and opened his formsuit to free his sexes. He gathered her again to him and kissed her neck. He gave her a small bite, not to subdue her but to add pleasure. She at once went soft in his arms. Gently, carefully, he turned her to face him, and entered her. She gave a long, shuddering sigh when she was fully seated, full of his flesh.   
“Hold me, Tynevek. Don’t let me go.”  
“I have you. Just keep your arms around me, beloved.”   
She dropped her head to his shoulder. He loved her with the softest motions, rocking her on his lap, barely moving in her. It was enough to bring her tired, needful body to release. Her clenching hearths drew his own climax and he found a deeper joy than he’d ever known in the throbbing haven of his sighing partner.  
At long last, his own tears fell, washing out the pain and anger he’d been keeping inside. She was his, his one love. The resentment he’d felt at her refusal to bear a child drained away. He could never ask her to risk childbirth. The notion of losing her was too much to bear. He loved her beyond anything. He wanted her just as she was, forever.   
Tynevek held her until she fell asleep, then, when he heard his clan come in, he laid her down, gently. He rose and went to them. They looked at him with alarm when they saw his reddened eyes. He quickly raised his hands.   
“Our sweet girl is fine.” His voice was rough with emotion. “My Dramok, my Nobek, if you’re willing, I wish to clan Susannah as our Matara.”  
Kyrnis leapt to embrace him. “Finally! This is wonderful news!”  
“What’s changed your mind?” Denar studied him thoughtfully. “I thought you’d never clan her if she didn’t want children.”  
Tynevek nodded. “I know. I’ll tell you all about it soon. Let me just say I realized that whether or not she ever gives birth, our little love is a Matara through and through. To be without her is unthinkable. I can’t wait for her to be our mate.”   
Kyrnis touched his shoulder. “Be certain, my Imdiko. We know what this means to you.”  
“I’m certain. I want to clan Susannah. I want her for our Matara. Forever.”  
He looked at Denar. Finally, Denar’s smile began to spread across his face. They flung their arms around each other grinning and laughing for joy.   
“Wait. What about the rule against clanning while still in active service?”  
Denar’s grin was smug. “I’ve inquired about it. After being our ward and living with us as if she was a clanmate, the rules can be relaxed. We just need to report it and trade our guardianship for an official clanning.” More laughter and back pounding ensued.  
“Will she say yes?” Kyrnis said suddenly.  
“How can she resist us?” Denar had his devil-grin in place.   
They trooped to the sleeping room to gaze on their beautiful Earther, asleep and deliciously naked, one hand upflung, her small feet crossed over each other. They stripped and stole quietly in around her, taking care not to disturb her slumber.   
Satisfaction and hope settled over the group. Their Matara would make their clan complete at long last. Their future was secured in love.  
Susannah woke to someone lightly stroking the inside of her thigh. She felt groggy and disoriented. She moved instinctively to part her legs to the pleasure and was rewarded with a warm hand pressing on her mound. What a nice dream, she thought, drowsing. It almost seemed like someone was licking her down there, using a warm, wet, rasping tongue to caress her folds. She sighed and parted her legs even further to grant that tongue greater access to her.   
A soft chuckle sounded near her head. “She’s almost here with us.” A deep voice. Nice voice. Like rich chocolate. Or soft, dark velvet.   
Another voice spoke. “I can’t wait any longer.”   
The tongue still licked languidly over her delicate flesh. Now a warm, wet mouth closed over the tip of one of her breasts and she felt herself retract inside, then pulse. She was swimming up out of her sleepiness.   
But if I wake up, will this lovely touching stop?  
Another voice whispered in ear. “Come and join us, little one. We have something important to ask you.”  
She shook her head and drifted back down.   
More warm laughter. “We’ll need to give her a little more.”   
She gasped as a hot, firm tongue shoved into her sheath, stabbing with sweet accuracy. Her eyes flew open and she saw Kyrnis beaming down at her.   
She looked down. Denar was doing delicious things to her breast. Tynevek was the one whose silky hair was tickling the inside of her thighs as his tongue pumped in and out of her.   
“Ohhh. What a nice way to wake up.”  
Kyrnis bent to kiss her and she closed her eyes to savor the sleep-languid pleasure they were bringing to her body. Her reverie didn’t last long. Her three lovers combined forces to rouse her, mouths and hands and tongues doing wickedly wonderful things to drive her mad. She was soon thrashing and moaning, heat coursing through her, bolts of electric power darting from her mouth to her belly and breasts, to her swollen, excited feminine center. Needy little cries rose from deep within her, then grew to fast, hungry moans. A last combined assault, insistent fingers plying both her entrances, hard suckling on her breast and her clit, and a forceful, plundering kiss, served to shove her up into the skies, throbbing cries sounding over and over and over as she came so hard it seemed like she might turn inside out with the agony of her pleasure.   
Three big bodies cuddled up around her as she lay gasping for breath. They patted her and murmured admiring words and she at last went soft and relaxed, sinking into the comfort of their embrace.   
“Nice, little one?” Kyrnis stroked her cheek with one finger.  
“Mm-hmm. Very, very nice.”  
“Good.” She looked to see Denar rise up beside her. His beautiful cocks were fully erect but he seemed unconcerned.   
Tynevek left her thighs and smiled. “Good morning, Susannah. We couldn’t wait any longer for you to wake up.”  
“It’s all right. If all alarm clocks were like you, though, nobody would ever get out of bed.” She looked around at her men. “Is there someplace we need to be?”  
Denar took her hand. “No. We’re in the best place in the universe right now.”  
“Oh-kay.” She frowned. “What’s up? You’ve got that we-sneaked-a-vid-into-Susannah’s-shower look again.”  
“We three talked last night. We all agreed that we want you to join our clan.”   
She gaped at the Dramok. Had she heard right? “Join?”  
He nodded. Straightening, his striking face sober, he asked, “Susannah Talcott, will you join my clan and be our Matara?”  
She sat up fast, almost clipping Kyrnis on the chin. “Really? Are you sure?” Then she blurted without thinking, “But what about the woman on Plasius?”  
They stared. “Woman?” Tynevek looked utterly mystified.   
“On Plasius?” Kyrnis looked to his Dramok. “A Susannah mystery?”  
Denar’s eyes had hardened. “Who told you about this?”  
“Neneer.”  
All three men groaned. Denar softened. “Susannah, a long time ago, I met an Earther woman in a brothel on Dantovon. Kyrnis, this was before I met you. She was very good to me one night when I was very lonely and missing my Imdiko.” His quick glance at Tynevek was actually tender. “I purchased her contract right then and there. Two days later, I put her on a ship to Plasius, where she could start a new life as a free person. An old schoolmate of mine and his clan helped her get started and it wasn’t long before they clanned her. They’re all very happy. I have not seen or heard from her for many years.”  
He took her hand. “Neneer hates me and wants to ruin my every happiness.”  
She blinked at Tynevek who had made a soft, choking sound. He cleared his throat. “My Dramok, Neneer does not hate you. He hates me, and Kyrnis, and Susannah. He has always wanted you for himself.”  
Denar looked stunned. Susannah chuckled. “You didn’t know Neneer was in love with you?” Denar scowled, revolted, and she laughed again. “Well, he is. And now I know the story about the slave woman was just his way of trying to break us up.”  
“The worthless piece of shit.” Denar’s eyes blazed. “No wonder he kept trying to badmouth my Imdiko and my Nobek. I ought to—“  
“Never mind,” Kyrnis said. “He’s on Earth, and we’re here and Susannah you just asked us if we are sure we want you for our Matara. Denar? Are we sure?”  
“We are.” The anger faded from Denar’s eyes, replaced by love. “We can’t imagine sharing the rest of our lives with anyone else.”  
Kyrnis touched her cheek. “You have our hearts. We want only you.”  
“Tynevek?” she asked, hesitant.  
His face was radiant. “Beloved, I never want to be without you.”  
She bit her lip. “But you can’t clan me. Not while you’re in service.”  
“Our Dramok has already asked. Because you have been our ward, they will relax the rule.” Tynevek’s eyes sparkled. “There is no impediment to our clanning.”  
Her heart felt like a balloon about to burst. She could barely speak.  
“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted you three to ask me,” she said chokingly. “I love you so much. I didn’t know how I was going to bear it when you left me on Kalquor.”  
Denar snorted. “We wouldn’t have been able to leave you, sweetness. We would have gone out of our minds.”  
“You should say yes,” Kyrnis told her, nodding.   
She laughed, despite the tears in her eyes. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!”  
They kissed and hugged and laughed together for a long while, proclaiming their joy, affirming their love for her. She could hardly believe this much happiness was possible. At last, the men drew back from her and she looked around at their dear faces, then at their rigid male flesh, standing up against their sleek, dark abdomens.   
“Oh, my darling clanmates.” She waved her hand at their erections. “Come. Let your Matara take care of those.”  
The celebration lasted long into the afternoon. When they at last realized they were all famished, they showered and dressed and the three clanmates took her out for evening meal in the officers’ club. As they toasted their new bond, she looked around the table, her eyes shining.   
“Thank you for welcoming me into your lives. I love you much, much more than I can say. I am so proud to be your Matara!”  
Denar raised his glass. “Here’s to our scholar.”   
“Our clan is complete.” Kyrnis looked around at all of them with satisfaction.   
Tynevek’s smile was pure joy. “To Susannah. The heart of Clan Denar.”

C11, S2  
Susannah walked to the ship’s library one afternoon, a week or two after she was clanned. She still floated on the knowledge that they had chosen her, that she would be with her beloved mates for the rest of her life. Every time one of them called her “my Matara,” she felt like she’d been made Queen of Everything. Nothing in her life compared to officially being their clanmate.   
But she was still herself and she was hungrier than ever to learn about her new home. How amazing to think she was now a Kalquorian citizen, a member of a society far, far from Earth! She wanted to read up on parallels in Earthers and Kalquorian social development, hoping to learn what Kalquorians valued and why. She wanted to know about their music and art and literature, as well as their history. Would she be able to catch up to their science and technology?   
She shook her head. Her clan loved to tease her about being such a dweeb. Kyrnis had made it his personal mission to keep her actively exercising, training, and playing so she didn’t turn into a mushroom. Yet, for all their teasing, they loved to share new information with her, hear more about the history of the Project, and they consulted her about various matters with the full assumption that she was more than capable of understanding. “Understand or die trying,” Tynevek had teased.   
She was smiling when she stepped into the library and saw a woman in a chair near the fiction collection. She had deep brown hair that was growing out from a very choppy haircut that looked self-inflicted, and she wore the soft blue fleece-wear she’d seen the other day when the Earther women were working in the ship’s onboard garden. She held a hard-bound, real paper book in hands that were swathed in heavy cotton gloves. When she looked up, Susannah saw that one side of her face was criss-crossed and puckered with scars.   
Susannah kept her soft smile and nodded to the woman as she crossed to one of the vid viewing carrels. She folded herself into the oversized chair and called up the sources she wanted. After a while, she heard a soft grunt and looked around to see the woman trying to pick up her book from the carpeted floor but struggling with the thick gloves.   
“May I help?” Susannah crossed to stand a short ways away.   
The woman gave her a rueful smile. “If you don’t mind.”  
Susannah picked up the book and handed it to the woman. She saw the title and smiled. “Oh! Jane Austen! She’s one of my favorites.”  
The woman nodded. “Pride and Prejudice. I think I’ve read it five times. It always makes me happy when Elizabeth and Darcy finally get together at the end.”  
“Oh, me too. Have you read any books by Georgette Heyer?”  
“No.” The woman sat up a little straighter. “Are her books like Austen’s?”  
“Kind of. Many of hers are set in the same time period—Regency England—and they’re sweet and funny and romantic. She always has a happy ending.”  
“I’ll look for her books when I finish this one. Again.” The woman’s grin was lopsided because of her scars but the light it brought to her eyes was sparkling. “I like holding these old books, don’t you?”  
“I do. I’m Susannah, by the way.” She offered her hand, then hesitated. “Oh! Will shaking hurt your hands?”   
“Not if you don’t try to mash it like a Kalquorian.”  
Susannah’s heart fell. “Did a Kalquorian hurt you?  
The woman’s laugh was free of irony. “Not at all. I just look at those big paws sometimes and get a little overwhelmed. Besides, they tend to bow, not shake hands.”  
Susannah chuckled. “That’s true.”  
“I’m Jeanette.” She reached out a swaddled hand. “You’re not in the Earther wing, are you?”  
Susannah shook her hand, gently. “No, I’m traveling as a guest.”  
Jeanette looked at her curiously. “Are you a—a Matara?”  
“Yes. I was just clanned.” Susannah waited, breath held, hoping that mentioning a clan didn’t frighten the woman.   
“Wow. I’m not ready for that, yet. I need to heal physically before I even think about relationships.”  
“That sounds very smart. Are you getting better physically?”  
The smile now was tremulous. “I am. I never imagined their medicine was so much farther ahead than ours.”  
“Yes, it’s amazing, isn’t it?” She nodded to Jeanette’s hands. “Are they being treated?”  
Jeanette nodded, and tears shone in her big green eyes. “I was a potter. Before. When...after they…I thought I’d never be able to tie my shoes or even feed myself again. But the doctors here, they’ve already done extensive repairs and they say when we get to Kalquor, they can do even more.” She looked at Susannah earnestly. “Do you think I’m right to believe them?”  
The flickering expressions of hope and fear in Jeanette’s eyes touched Susannah’s heart. She thought carefully, not wanting to make a mistake.   
“The Kalquorians I know are honorable and very, very smart. I think most of them truly want to help. They don’t want to see people suffer, I know that. I’ve had some of their medicines—nothing serious—but they work way, way better than any I had on Earth. I’ve read some of their medical books here in the library, too, and it’s pretty amazing. ” She touched Jeanette’s arm with a light fingertip. “Does that help?”  
Jeanette nodded. “I want to believe them. And from what they’ve shown me, just since the rescue unit found me, I think they can do a lot more than I ever hoped.”  
“I’m so glad. So, you like your doctors here?”  
The engaging grin returned. “I do. They seem to really want to help us, despite the war. In fact, a couple of them are pretty cute. And even funny. They always treat me with respect, which makes me think I can trust them.”  
“They’re different from us, but not as much as you might think.”  
“One of my docs is the sweetest guy. I hardly have to hint that I need something and he’s all over it. I think he’s unclanned—is that the right word for a single guy?”  
“It depends.” Susannah sat on the floor and crossed her legs. “There are clans and then there are full clans. When they have only the three males in their little group, they are a clan—married to each other—and they are faithful to each other. When they take a Matara, then they are considered a full clan and all of them are married to her for life, everyone exclusive to each other, always.”  
Jeanette shivered. “Three men and one woman. I don’t know if I could ever get used to that.”  
“I understand. It is different from Earth.” Susannah didn’t want to get into the reasons for the clans and the role of the Mataras. Or how three men and one woman could work. Jeanette had enough to think about.  
“But if I was going to be with a Kalquorian, I’d make a play for Doc Tynevek.”  
Susannah felt herself stiffen. “Tynevek?”  
“Yeah. Oh, man, is he gorgeous. But more than that, he’s the gentlest, kindest guy I’ve ever met. He’s the one who always jumps to help his patients. He makes each of us feel like we’re the only patient he has and he has all the time in the world to listen to us.”  
“So, he isn’t clanned, you say?” She felt proud, scared, angry, and jealous, all in one swoop.   
“Well, I think maybe he’s got a girlfriend, one of the nurses said. Lucky girl. You should see him with the women who’re expecting or have new babies with them. His face lights up like Christmas! He walks around with two babies in his arms, sometimes. It’s funny because they look like toys in his big hands but he treats them like they’re the eighth wonder of the world.”  
Susannah gulped. Tynevek with babies.   
“You okay?”  
Susannah nodded and smiled. “Your doctor sounds fabulous.”  
“Tell me about it. Whoever his girlfriend is, I hope she knows what a prize she got when she caught him. Handsome, strong, smart, sweet and he’s going to be one great father. Like winning the lottery.”  
She glanced up at the clock on the wall. “I have to get back for physical therapy.” She made a face. “It’s absolutely brutal but it really has been making a difference. And the massages and comfort therapies afterward make it all worth while.”  
Susannah got to her feet with her. “I’m so glad I got to meet you,” she said, sincerely. “What you’re doing is so brave. I hope I get to see you again soon and see how things are going.”  
“That’s nice. Aw. You look kind of sad.” Jeanette patted her shoulder, very lightly. “I hope I didn’t depress you with all my hospital talk.”  
Susannah felt tears rising. “You didn’t depress me at all. In fact, I think you just gave me a wonderful gift.”  
“Well, I’m glad to hear it, whatever it is. ‘Bye now.”  
“‘Bye.”  
Susannah stood staring at the door for several long minutes after Jeanette left. Then, she started jogging toward their quarters. She slipped in and found it was empty.   
“Good.”   
She began clearing up the living area, then trotted to the kitchen and looked over their supplies. She called up some recipes on the vid and ordered a few things from the commissary. She wasn’t much of a hand in the kitchen but she’d do what she could tonight.  
As she went back to cleaning their quarters, she thought about what Jeanette had said about Tynevek. She had been so dense. She recalled the day when she’d read “Beauty and the Beast” to him. He’d said she’d make a wonderful mother. And how had she answered him? She’d said glibly that she’d never, ever bring children into this world. Yes, she had meant it, but what had she been thinking, saying that to a man who not only knew his own race was dying out for a lack of children, but who had a true paternal heart? How hurt and angry he must have been! No wonder he’d stayed away from her for so long.   
When he’d finally told her he loved her, he’d said he couldn’t fight it. He hadn’t wanted to love her but he did! Oh, but that hurt. She sat down on the bed and sank her face into her hands.   
Tynevek’s dearest wish was to be a papa. When he’d said he loved her and he accepted her, he’d done so knowing that she would never grant him that wish, even if she were clanned with them.   
“Ohh, damn. I am such an idiot.”  
Tynevek had clanned her—for life!—even though he knew she didn’t want to have children with him. He’d given up a precious dream for love of her.  
Yes, what she’d seen when she was five was terrible. Yes, Earth had gone insane. But she wasn’t five any longer. And she was no longer on Earth. As the Matara of Denar’s clan, she was now a full citizen of Kalquor. Everything had changed. She had three wonderful men who loved her and who stood ready to make sure she was happy and safe at all times. She recalled the day Tynevek had found her secret stash of childhood memories: “Could it be they carried something for you, Susannah? Couldn’t it be true that these toys carried your hope?”  
Hope. Yes, those toys had been carrying her hope. She could admit it now.   
What was carrying hope for her beloved clan?   
“Well.” She stood and dashed the tears from her eyes. “Anyway, no more cuddling other women’s babies, my sweet, wise Imdiko!”  
She was going to carry her clan’s hope.  
She was showered and dressed in a soft, clinging, navy velvet dress—extremely low cut as a special gift for Tynevek—when her clan came home. They stood in the doorway, blinking at the sparkling clean living area and sniffing the smell of ronka roasting in the oven, along with fresh-baked popovers. She handed each of them a glass of bohut and laid out a plate of nellus berries and some cheese and wafers.   
She kissed each of them in turn. “Sit. I just have to check on something.”  
She returned from the galley to see all three of them sitting on the edge of their seats, their purple eyes wary. It was difficult for them to allow her to cook or serve them. Of course, that might be in self-defense because of her lousy cooking. But she stood by her plan for the evening. She was going to serve her men. She grinned and went to stand in front of them.   
“My sweet husbands. I have a couple of announcements to make tonight. The first one is, that I love you all so much my heart wants to burst out of my body and fly around the room.”  
They rumbled some laughs but still seemed uneasy. She waved her hands. “Don’t worry, my loves, it’s nothing bad. Just be patient and let me do this in my own way, okay?”  
“You’re not leaving us, are you?” Kyrnis’ voice was growly and thick.   
“Try and get rid of me, you big bear.” She kissed him again.   
He tried to capture her and pull her into his arms, but she danced away. “No, no. Not yet. Why don’t the three of you go wash up or shower and change or whatever you want. Evening meal in a half an hour?”  
They looked at one another and rose as one. She suddenly found herself back in Yosemite, only this time she was standing in a forest of Kalquorians, not giant redwood trees.  
“Susannah.” Denar folded his arms over his chest. “No secrets. No surprises.”  
“Uh-uh.” She slipped out from among them. “I have a very nice meal cooking and then you can hear my other announcement.” She backed away into the kitchen. “Be patient. It’s a good surprise, I think. Trust me?”  
They filed out, growling and grumbling. She danced about, setting the table and sipping at her wine. She hummed as she lit candles on the table and finished preparing the meal. She was fairly sure it would be edible, at least, thanks to the helpful cooks in the commissary.  
Her men returned, cleaned and dressed in the soft pants they liked to wear in quarters, their magnificent chests bare. They still were looking at her with wary purple glances, but she managed to get them seated on the cushions around the table and engage them in telling her about their day.   
After a bit, Denar leaned over to whisper in her ear. “You’ve suddenly turned into Dolly Domestic. Where’s my bratty scholar?”  
“She’s still here.” She swallowed the bit of tender ronka meat he’d given her. “But tonight is all about home and clan.”  
Tynevek kissed her softly, making her shiver when he took his turn, offering her light, fluffy popover morsels. At least those were a success, she thought.   
“You look so lovely tonight, beauty. I’m looking forward to dessert.” He pulled out the neckline of her dress and stared with blatant fondness at the soft flesh below.  
She just laughed and patted his cheek. “Me, too.”  
When they’d finished and cleared away, Susannah called them all to the living area and had them sit down while she perched on a low table before them.   
“Please, sweet one, don’t keep us in suspense,” Kyrnis said.   
“Okay. Here goes. I love you all so much.”  
Denar chuckled. “You already said that. And we’re very happy. We love you, too.”  
“I know you do. And because of all that love, I want to give you something.” She pulled a silver packet out of her dress pocket and waved it in front of her. She heard Tynevek take a deep, sharp breath. “Don’t be afraid,” she told him gently.   
Denar squinted. “What is that?”   
“These are my last two injections of Noxovul. I will take these tomorrow and the next day. I’ll have my menstrual period and then...I won’t be taking them any more.”  
The silence in the room had height and depth and breadth. She waited, biting her lip.   
“Susannah, are you saying that you want to—to—” Tynevek couldn’t even get the words out.   
“I want to be a real Matara. A life-bringer.” She smiled into his beautiful eyes. “I want my clan to make me pregnant as soon as possible.”  
Kyrnis’ shout almost did structural damage. Denar grabbed her and hugged her so hard she had to shove him back, laughing, in order to get air into her lungs.   
“Little one, this is the most wonderful surprise I’ve ever had.” Kyrnis planted kisses on every bit of her he could reach around Denar’s embrace.   
Denar murmured against her hair. “You’ve made us so happy.”   
“When can we start?” Kyrnis looked ready to race for the bedroom.   
She poked her head around the other two and looked at Tynevek. He was sitting, rooted to his cushion, staring at her, dazed. She disengaged and dropped to her knees before him. She took his hand in hers.   
“My beloved Imdiko.” Tears blurred her vision. “Please forgive me.”  
He stroked her cheek, brows drawn. “What do you mean, beauty? There’s nothing to forgive.”  
She took his hand and held it to her cheek. “Yes, there is. I was so foolish and selfish and dumb. I never imagined how it must have felt for you to clan me when I insisted I’d never have a child. You were willing to give that up so I could be with you. Please forgive me for being a brat.”  
He reached down and gathered her to him. “Oh, Matara. You were never a brat. You’d been badly hurt. You are our true love. I didn’t care just as long as I had you in my life. I could never give you up. I never will, child or no child.”  
Now she was sobbing on his chest. She felt hot droplets fall on her forehead and she looked up to see tears slipping down his cheeks.   
“Thank you,” she whispered.   
The others came and knelt around them, and the clan shared several long moments embracing each other and savoring their new bond. She glanced up and saw tears in the eyes of her Dramok and her Nobek, too.   
Big softies, she thought, her heart full. Kyrnis finally broke the mood.   
“Do we get dessert now?”  
All his clanmates jumped on him, pummeling and laughing and trying their best to subdue the Nobek, who kept grabbing Susannah and trying to roll her bodily into the bedroom, like a length of pipe. Denar and Tynevek finally extricated her, panting and grinning. No one was fooled into believing they’d bested Kyrnis. He’d let them win. And that was all right, but it had created a chain reaction of arousal among Susannah’s clanmates. She rolled to her stomach and beheld three men with towering, urgent erections tenting their pants. Hiding a mischievous grin, she began to crawl away, as fast as she could scuttle.   
Growls and snarls erupted. Hands grabbed for her. She dodged under a table, kicking out to keep them at bay. Someone grabbed her foot, but all he got was a shoe. She scrambled out and rolled under a desk. Snarls filled the air, the desk was lifted off her and she raced behind the lounger. Susannah shrieked as Denar reached over and hauled her up and into his arms.   
“Got you.” His voice was rough and filled with menace as he carried her around to sit on the lounger. “Never run from an aroused Kalquorian, my love.”  
Before she could draw another breath, he whipped her over and she found herself facedown across his lap. He planted a hand on her back.  
“Come, my Nobek.” Her ran a hand up the backs of her thighs. “Hold her arms.”  
She struck out, scratching Kyrnis deeply across his chest. He laughed and pinned her wrists. “Is that any way for a future mother to behave?”   
“Maybe!” She squirmed, although in truth she had grown to love it when they spanked her as bedplay. “Isn’t this just going to delay what we all know we want?”  
“She has a point, my Dramok.” Kyrnis was already naked, pants tossed to the winds.   
“Dammit.” Denar already been working to get her dress off, not easy when she was over his lap. He stood her up, then followed, shucking his pants. “My Imdiko. Will you undress our Matara?” He sat down on the lounge again and gave his eager cocks a long, leisurely stroke. “I don’t care if it’s a delay.” He waved his free hand. “Take your time.”   
Laughing, Tynevek started with her earrings, then layer by layer, making a big show of it, stripped her utterly naked while both Denar and Kyrnis slowly worked their excited flesh in tandem. When he at last made her step out of the tiny briefs she had donned before her loves came home, he stood back, took his own cocks in hand, and joined in the rhythm his clan mates had set.   
“Tell me, Matara, why did you put on so many layers of clothing this evening?” Denar’s voice betrayed a certain breathlessness. He never paused in his actions.   
She cast down her eyes and dug a bare toe in the depths of the carpet.   
“You did it to tempt us, didn’t you?”  
She bit her lip, looked up at him from under her lashes, then nodded.   
Kyrnis rumbled, his hand quickening the pace, ever so slightly. “You schemed, didn’t you, brat?”  
“Maybe.”  
“You will punished for that.” Tynevek’s voice was notably strained. “Yes, my Dramok?”  
“That she will.” Denar reached over and pulled Tynevek down beside him. He took away his Imdiko’s hand and placed it on his own largest cock. He then took Tynevek’s needful pricks in his hand. Kyrnis was already in on it, taking Denar’s smaller cock while Denar took his larger one.   
Susannah felt her breath speeding, her body heating. She stared at her gorgeous men, at their glistening, hardened flesh, at their dark eyes trained on her.  
“Is there something you want, Matara?” Denar never lost his pace.   
“I—I—”  
“Do you want us?” He gave each of his clan mates’ cocks an extra long pull.   
“Yes.” She almost squeaked.   
“Oh, I am sorry to hear that. You won’t be getting any of these, I’m afraid. You were trying to manipulate us. Take your punishment. You may watch but you may not move.”  
She swallowed.   
“What do you say?”  
“Yes, Dramok.”  
“Oh, yes. You keep your eyes on us.”  
The climate in the room grew tropical and Susannah felt wet warmth moistening her thighs as the three men masturbated each other in perfect, almost choreographed, rhythm. She stifled a giggle as she imagined how much time they’d had together to perfect such a coordinated act. They were magnificent and she knew how good those cocks felt inside her. Yet she held still and obeyed as their pace increased, their grips tightened, and they began to pant with growing urgency. She’d have them soon.  
Denar sent her a wicked glance and deliberately slowed things down.   
“Mmm,” she whined.  
“No, no. You may not speak or move. You may not have any of these inside your lovely pussy—which I see is already wet—or your pretty ass, or that luscious mouth. Or anywhere else we can think of.”  
Okay, maybe she wouldn’t have them soon. She desperately wanted to rub her thighs together, to touch her breasts with their already hardened tips. She wanted to launch herself at her mates, devour them in every possible way. But this was what they wanted. This pleased them, she knew, to see her submitting to their demands, to see her hunger for their powerful flesh.   
She clenched her hands and continued to watch. At least she got to watch.  
Blessedly, it wasn’t such a long show, after all. They were all sweating, as they watched their pretty mate blushing, warming, shivering with desire for them. The muscles and veins in their necks began to tense. Their chests rose and fell, faster and faster, as their cocks jutted up into their pumping hands. At last, by some signal or other, Denar opened his mouth, threw back his head and came in long, hot, streams of cum, his whole body convulsing with the extremity of pleasure. Kyrnis and Tynevek went off one by one, right after him, so Susannah was treated to the sight of each of them coming in magnificent ecstasy.   
They collapsed, panting, gently disentangling their grips. Kyrnis handed each of them a wipe. She waited as they cleaned up the evidence of their passion, her own arousal still keeping her on edge.  
“So, Matara. I suppose you’re ready to do the dishes now?” Denar drawled.  
She gathered her composure. “I can do that.” She turned to go, then spoke over her shoulder. “But I hope you don’t think that kind of performance will get me pregnant.”   
She began to sashay toward the galley. Tynevek had her in his arms in a heartbeat.  
“Trust me,” he rasped. “When it comes time to make our child I will know exactly what to do. In fact, let the doctor show you how it’s done.”  
He bore her toward the sleeping room, his clan mates chuckling as they followed.   
Much later, after each of them had taken her by turns, filling her and driving her wild, Susannah drowsed, snuggled into the center of her sleeping clan. She felt a hand slip up over her breast and knew at once that it was Tynevek, sneaking a midnight snack of his favorite body part.   
“Thank you, Matara.” He pressed a kiss to her hair. “You give the sweetest gifts.”  
She covered the hand that was massaging her breast so perfectly. “I love you, Tynevek. I can’t wait to make our baby.”  
“You’ve made me the happiest man alive.” He kissed the back of her neck, tenderly. She sighed.   
“I don’t approve of your methods but watching you watching us tonight was a treat.” Kyrnis murmured, amusement in his voice. “You know just how to please us.”  
“Aww. And here I thought I’d fooled you all. You knew all along that that was dessert?”  
“Mm-hm.” He chuckled softly. “Better than your apple pie and ice cream.”  
“Go to sleep, my clan,” said Denar. “Our Matara needs her rest.” They all settled again. “And Susannah?”  
“Yes, my Dramok?”  
“You are the love of our lives.”

C11, S1  
To her dismay, Susannah learned that just quitting her contraceptives did not make her instantly fertile. Dramok Greln told her that she might have to wait as long as three months before her system, so long suppressed, would produce the hormones needed for ovulation and conception. She went home from that exam a little saddened but the clan wasn’t daunted.   
“Don’t worry, sweet.” Kyrnis was cuddling her on the lounger that evening. “We’ll keep at you day and night. We’ll set up a rotation so that someone’s trying to impregnate you at every minute of the day. I’ll take first watch, of course, and one of these times, we’ll hit the target.”  
She giggled “You’re a goof ball and a sex fiend.”   
“Thank you, precious one.”   
“Maybe we’ll be on Kalquor by then and settled.” Tynevek clasped his hands behind his head. “It would be very nice to conceive our child under the moons of home.”  
Denar snorted. “As if you could wait that long.”   
Tynevek merely grinned. “You’ll be very busy with your new job when we get there, my Dramok. I might have to take some of your turns with our lovely mate.”  
Denar glowered, then laughed. He’d been offered a position as advisor to a Kalquorian Galactic Council member when they returned to their home planet. Kyrnis was already engaged in a project to update com links between Kalquor and Joshada and design a new system for communicating with the rescue missions on Earth. They would indeed be very busy. Tyenevek would be hard at work with the new Mataras in their home city.  
“Your ideas about the protocols for basing the programming on an ancient Earther language, Matara, were invaluable. You knew what was needed and your plan to make it something other than a Kalquorian-based system was perfect.” He kissed her on her cheek. “You’re sure you don’t want credit for that, my sweet?”  
She shook her head. “That was just a notion I had. I’m plenty happy with what I have ahead of me: getting pregnant with my wonderful clan, setting up our home, learning more Kalquorian, having a child, and then, discovering everything I can about my new planet. Can we explore as soon as we get there?”  
Denar smiled but shook his head. “We all have careers to secure, loved one, especially if we are to be fathers as well as husbands. We get a short leave when we arrive, to readjust as a new and returning clan, then we have to be on the job. But we’ll do what we can. Besides, if you are pregnant, we will expect you to limit stress of any sort.”  
“Any word from the Earther medicine research center?” she asked Tynevek.   
“Not yet.”  
“They’d be crazy not to snap you up. You have the most experience and your patients adore you.”  
His look was quizzical. “My patients?”  
She colored up. “I know I’m not supposed to mingle, but I met one of them in the library a few days ago and she spoke to me. She told me that ‘Doc Tynevek’ is the best doctor on the staff.”  
Tynevek looked both pleased and alarmed. “Susannah, you really do need to keep your distance. I know you wouldn’t intentionally do any of them harm, but they can be fragile. We don’t always know what might trigger a painful memory or a bad reaction. You might harm them unintentionally or they might harm you. Some are volatile right now.”  
Kyrnis’ arm tensed around her and she heard a growl low in his throat. She knew he was already preparing to protect her. Or punish her. Or both.  
Susannah looked down, abashed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. She was very nice. We talked about books and she seemed happy when she left. She’s pleased with all her medical care so far.” She looked apologetically at her Imdiko. “I just thought you might like to hear that your patients think you’re wonderful.”  
“Did you tell her you were in Tynevek’s clan?” Denar asked slowly.  
“No. I didn’t think that was a safe topic. I told her I was clanned but I didn’t mention any of your names. She brought up Tynevek.”  
Tynevek chewed his lip. “I know you meant well, but you need to promise us that you’ll just nod and smile and go on next time you meet one of the rescued women.”  
She frowned. “I’m a rescued woman.”  
“Not in the same way,” Denar said, coming to sit on her other side. “You didn’t have their nasty, repressive upbringing, for one.”  
“And you were never arrested, or imprisoned, or tortured. Many of these women have scars both inside and out from all they endured on Earth,” Tynevek put in softly. “Many of them are under tremendous pressure right now, just living from day to day, despite our best efforts to calm their fears.”  
Kyrnis pulled her upright. “Promise us, Matara. Stay away. I can’t guard you myself all the time, but if I have to, I’ll make sure you have a guard whenever one of us can’t be with you.”  
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “And yes, I promise.”  
“Good.” Denar said.   
She caught the quick glances the three of them exchanged and somehow, she knew she was about to have a watchdog with her, round the clock. She sighed, inwardly. Really, her conversation with Jeanette had been harmless. The other woman had even shown her that she was taking Tynevek—all of her clan—for granted. That had led to her decision to have a child with them. She’d done them all a favor! Hadn’t she?  
Later that night, she woke and found that Denar was missing from their bed. Now fully accustomed to walking naked around their quarters, she got up and padded to the study, where she found her Dramok reviewing and filling in documents on his tablet.   
He smiled at her and stretched out his arm for her to come sit on his lap. She slipped up and he pulled her close. She rubbed her cheek against his chest. He was so nice and warm.  
“Can’t sleep?” He began typing with his arms on either side of her.   
“I woke up and you weren’t there. I was worried.”   
He kissed the top of her head. “You’re very sweet but I’m fine. I just have a lot of paperwork to catch up on. We were on Earth for three years and coming home to ordinary life and work is a big change.”  
“May I help?”  
“How’s your Kalquorian?”  
“My reading and spelling aren’t as strong as my speaking and translating.” She shook her head. “Your alphabet is the most complex I’ve ever seen.”  
“That’s because our written language is almost as old as our spoken language. They took shape on parallel tracks and then the two kept twining back and forth on each other.”  
“Is there anything I can get you? Something to eat or drink?”  
“No, love. But I like having you here if you’re not too sleepy. How are you doing now that your hormones are changing?”  
“I’m good. I haven’t noticed any big changes.” She peered up at him. “Have you?”  
He stroked her hair. “Not really. Your scent and your taste are a little different.”  
She frowned. “Taste? Sce—oh!” She felt her cheeks coloring.  
He chuckled. “Not in a bad way. If anything, you are more alluring. Female hormones are fascinating, especially in you Earthers, who are fertile so often. Kalquorian women are fertile only once a year. Once you’re ovulating in a more natural rhythm, we’ll be able to tell where you are in your cycle. Every month! Delightful.”  
She huffed. “Couldn’t you just use a calendar?”  
He chuckled. “Where would be the fun in that? I’d much rather taste and smell you.” He became more serious. “I know you’re tired of all our rules, but you’ll need to be even more careful around the crew once you’re fertile, my love. Kalquorian males are highly sensitized to the scent of an ovulating female. We’re programmed to rut first and ask questions later.”  
She gave him a tart look. “How is that different from how you are the rest of the time?”   
He kissed her long and hard. “With you, little scholar, there’s hardly any difference at all.”  
She giggled and snuggled in against him as he returned to his work. She dozed, basking in his warmth. She came to consciousness as she heard him speaking, but no one was answering. She kept her eyes closed and listened to his deep voice as he spoke in his native language.   
She heard the words for father, clan, memory and forgetting. She followed as best she could, catching snatches of phrases before his words hurried past her ability to translate quickly. One thing she could tell was that her Dramok was tense and angry. Kalquorian was a guttural-sounding language to her ears but she sensed Denar was clipping his words more and more with each sentence. She caught “school” and “mistake” and “death” or “died.” What was he talking about and who was he talking to?  
She knew she was eavesdropping but she couldn’t help it. There was a note of real pain in Denar’s voice and she wondered what could hurt him so. Denar was the strongest man she knew, and one of the toughest. Nothing shook him.   
Finally, he said goodbye and she heard a soft bell as he shut down his tablet and the screen vanished. He settled back in his chair, holding her gently. But she felt he was as tense as a wire.  
She lifted her head and looked into his turbulent, dark eyes. She put a hand to his cheek.   
“Tell me,” she whispered.   
“Nothing to tell.” He patted her shoulder.   
She straightened and turned so she could face him. “You lie.”  
He growled warningly. “Are you sure you want to call your Dramok a liar, Susannah?”  
She draped her arms around his neck and put her forehead to his. “Tell me why you were so angry just then, when you were talking. And why you look so sad now.”  
“It’s nothing you need to worry about. I was just sending a vid to my fathers.” He kissed her softly. “You should go back to bed.”  
He tried to remove her arms but she resisted. “Tell me, my love. I’ve seen that sadness before.” She spoke very quietly. “I am your Matara. We share, remember?”  
He shook his head. “It’s old business. It doesn’t matter.”  
“I’d say from the way you look and how tense you are and how your voice sounds that it really does matter, Denar. You said something about a mistake and death. What was it?”  
He pulled her in tightly but still shook his head.   
She thought about threatening to withhold sex from him, then decided that he’d only laugh at her. He’d just take what he wanted and enjoy himself immensely if she protested or fought him. And she’d only melt and love it.  
She needed to go with sugar rather than a stick.   
“The sooner you tell me, the sooner I can give you laxan.” She ran her hands over his chest. “You can have me all night, if you’d like. Use the hover cuffs on me. Wear out my poor little ass.”  
She felt his sexes take an immediate interest. He swallowed. She knew he adored her ass and taking her in that way, with his larger cock in her smaller passage, was a favorite practice with him, the tight fit a heaven of wild sensations for them both. A hint of cinnamon rose on the air.   
“Tell me.” She wriggled her bottom over his erections. “Please.”   
He buried his face in her neck. “I can’t.” His voice was thick with pain.   
She knew she was making progress. Whatever was bothering him wanted to come out. It had to be very bad for him to turn down laxan.  
She lifted his head and looked into his eyes. “You can trust me. You know you can. I hate to see my wonderful lover so unhappy.”  
“Oh, no.” He looked away from her. “You won’t think I’m wonderful when I tell you.”  
When he told her, not if. He was almost ready. She just had to be patient.   
She slithered out of his lap to sit at his feet. She wrapped a hand around one of his calves and leaned her head against his knee. She looked up at him, waiting.   
His fists clenched on his thighs. He looked like he wanted to slam them through the wall.   
She pressed a soft kiss to his thigh. “Tell me, Denar. Tell me the story you’re keeping inside you. It’s hurting you to keep it in.”  
Then, she simply waited. When he began to speak, it was as if his throat wanted to force the sounds back down into him.   
“It was the first year we were on Earth. We’d been on rock for six months and we were the hottest team going. Or so I thought. We had a perfect record for safe, successful, and fast rescues. I figured we’d be promoted to Prime Unit in no time.”  
She laid her cheek on his knee. He didn’t look at her, just kept staring off ahead of him as if watching a vid.   
“We got a call to an urban rescue. It was in a high-rad zone so we knew we had to get in and get out quickly to limit contamination. Attacks by Earther forces were uncommon in the desolated cities close to the sites where the nuclear bombs had been planted. The ones that went off when our troops moved to invade Earth. What kind of sick, stupid government kills its own people so they won’t be ruled by others?” he snarled.  
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Old news.” He heaved a sigh and continued. “We flew in on a Tri-bus. The crew dropped us, then took off to circle the area. It was Kyrnis, Tynevek, and me, plus a psychiatrist and a nurse. We used our finders to locate human life—just like we used to find you—and got multiple signals from a bombed-out school building. We scouted it, found a way in, and got ready to enter.   
“That’s when I made the stupidest mistake of my life. I thought we were secure. We’d be safe. If all of us went, we could move them out faster. So we cleared a way and searched. We found them well below ground, in an old kitchen that had somehow survived the blast. They were starving and scared. They’d been there for two years—two years!—and their food supplies were almost exhausted. There were two teachers and ten children, some of them as young as four or five years old.”  
“Oh, my. Poor littles.”  
He went on as if he hadn’t heard her. He was still seeing the scene from the past.  
“Tynevek, Kyrnis, and I scooped up the babies and ran up to ground level. I told Tynevek to stay with the youngest ones and tend to them while Kyrnis and I went back down to get the others. We’d just made it to a safe shelter with the little ones when we heard them.”  
“Them?”  
“Earther drones. They were coming in so fast, they were just blurs overhead by the time they registered. Tynevek threw himself across the children, and Kyrnis and I turned to run to the school.”  
He was silent for a long time. She kissed his knee again and he seemed to come to himself. She’d never seen such haunted eyes. “We were too late. Each of the two drones dropped a bomb, one of them directly on the school. We were knocked over, flat on our backs, right there in the street. By the time we got to our feet, they were lifting away. Kyrnis and I ran like madmen to the building even as it collapsed in on itself. We began digging with our bare hands, we were insane to get down in there and find the others. The walls were still...it doesn’t matter. We dug and dug. Our hands were torn, bloody. Finally, we found the kitchen. The ceiling had gone down this time. They were under the rubble.”  
He drew a ragged breath. “They were all gone. All of them, crushed to death or killed by flying metal and brick.”  
Susannah clutched his leg. “Oh, no.”  
“Seven children. Two teachers. One of our docs and one of our nurses.” He raised his hands, shaping them in an arc in the air. “The adults were lying on top of the children, trying to shelter them but they’d never had a chance. One little...little girl had a toy dog still clutched in her hands. Another child was…his body...” His voice thickened. His great chest heaved. “Seven children. Two teachers. A doctor and a nurse,” he repeated dully. “All because of my arrogance and my stupidity.”  
“How can that be? You didn’t know those drones were coming. They don’t usually bother patrolling the bomb-site areas, Brekin told me.”  
“It doesn’t matter! I knew better. I was supposed to post a watch outside the building. I thought I was better than the rules. Every one of those people—those little ones—died because of my stupid, careless decision.”  
“What about the three children you saved?”  
“They made it, thanks to Tynevek. Our shuttle hadn’t dared come in until the drones were out of the area because they had other rescued Earthers on board. They couldn’t risk it. If I’d posted a watch or taken the watch myself, I might have had warning. We might have gotten them into a more secure part of the building. I should have died with them, protecting them. I should have done anything other than get blown onto my ass in the street!”  
He was shaking now, his breath coming like a bellows. Susannah wrapped her arms around his leg and just held on.   
Finally, she looked up at him, tears pouring down her cheeks. “You’ve been carrying this all this time?”  
“What else is there to do?” His voice choked. “I put in for reassignment as soon as we reached the transport. There was a hearing. They didn’t permit me to leave. They said I needed to complete my mission. If I didn’t, I’d be tried as a deserter. I had to go back to work, with my failure trailing me like a shadow. It’s been there ever since. They—the ones I forfeited—have been there ever since.”  
She rose and climbed into his lap once again. His whole body was as stiff as a block of wood, his fists pale on his thighs. She pressed her face against his chest and sobbed.   
“I’m sorry.” It was all she could think to say. “I’m so sorry, Denar.”  
He gave a short, sharp bark and his arms came around her, almost crushing her. She didn’t care. She hung on, weeping.   
He gave another harsh cry and buried his face in her neck. She felt hot tears fall on her skin. He heaved and sobbed for several minutes as she clung to him, trying silently to somehow take his grief from him. Her heart throbbed in pain to see this powerful, proud man so devastated.  
“The others I’ve met on the ship. They all speak of you so highly.” She spoke against his chest as they both quieted. “They don’t think you’re a failure. You and the rest of our clan have made the most successful rescues of any team so far. You rescued me.”  
He grunted. “And the whole time I lived in terror that I might get another mission where children were involved. I’m glad we never did. I still break into a sweat when I have to—well, anyway, at least I was spared that. Not that I deserved it.”   
She peered up at him. “Is that why you didn’t seem to care that I didn’t want children?” She felt tightness in her chest. “Because you didn’t want any children around you to remind you of the ones you couldn’t save?”  
He closed his eyes and a fresh wave of pain passed over his face. “I’m sorry, sweetling.”  
“You don’t need to apologize to me, my love. Remember? I hurt our Imdiko on that score, too. He’s the one you should ask to forgive you.”  
He gave a groan and scrubbed at his face. “I know.”  
“And now?” Her throat almost closed on the words. “Now that I’m trying to get pregnant?”  
His eyes went wide. “Oh, no! No, don’t be afraid. I am the happiest man in nine galaxies that you want to give us a child. I want to be a father of the child you give us. The fact that you overcame your fear of having children for our sake means everything.” He kissed her passionately. “I should have your courage.”  
“You are one of the bravest men I know!” she said stoutly.   
“Thank you. Your courage inspires me.” His eyes were still sad but she could see less pain in their deep purple depths. “I couldn’t have told anyone about this if you hadn’t shown me that it is possible to get past such an experience. What a perfect Matara you are for us.”  
She put hand to his cheek. “No wonder you were so upset with me for wanting to stay underground. You must have hated it down there. I really am a stubborn brat, aren’t I?”  
He chuckled and hugged her gently. “It wasn’t so bad. Those weeks with you in the storehouse were the closest thing any of us have had to a vacation in nearly five years. And after all of it, we gained our wonderful Susannah. What better way to balance the horror of that other time underground?” He kissed her softly. “Besides, I like a bratty woman. A woman who pushes back. One who doesn’t give up.”  
She slipped her arms around his neck, pressed herself against him and gave him a tender, melting kiss. When she looked up at him again she saw desire mingled with the sheen of tears in his eyes. She knew it had been very difficult not only to face his past, but to unburden himself to someone else. To shed tears in front of her. He needed to recover his balance and his dominant position. She pushed out of his hold and came to her feet.   
“Well, I’m glad we talked.” She gave him a pat on the shoulder and turned to leave. “See you in the morning.” She smirked and gave an extra little twitch to her backside as she walked away, into the sitting area.   
She was on all fours on the deep, soft rug by the lounger before she knew she’d been caught. 

C11, S4  
The growl that rumbled behind her thrilled her heart as well as sent shivers down her spine. She scrambled forward, but Denar caught her hips and heaved her back, her bottom coming up against his hot, hard groin.   
“Don’t tease, Susannah.”   
“Oh, no?” She rubbed herself against him, blatantly, sinfully. She was already warming but she wasn’t going to let him have her without a fight. He needed a fight. Slamming her head back, she caught his hard chin. She saw stars, but he was so startled, he loosened his grip. She shot away from him, vaulting up and over the lounger, heading for the galley. She clambered up and crouched on top of the counter.   
He stalked her, rubbing his chin. “You’re going to pay for that, little girl.”  
He reached for her but she danced away. He caught an ankle and she fell to one knee, struggling and kicking out behind her.   
“Don’t touch me! I know what you want, you—you vile alien! You want to perform some perverted outer space sex act on my poor, helpless body.”  
“Damn right I do.” He growled as he began slowly reeling her toward him.   
She grabbed onto the faucet and resisted. “No! My body is a sacred temple! You are not going to defile it with your great big enormous spaceman penises!” She could barely keep the laughter out of her voice.   
“You split my lip, Susannah.”  
She gasped and looked around, stricken. He had her in one swift move. She squawked in outrage. “You lied! I didn’t touch your lip!”  
His chuckle was pure evil. “All’s fair, Earther. Now this vile alien is going to use his great big enormous spaceman penises to have his way with your poor, helpless—” he stroked a finger over her cleft, making her buck in his arms, “—rather wet, sweet body.”   
“No. I refuse! I must preserve my purity!”  
He ignored her protests as he strode to the lounger and dumped her on it, facedown. He put a knee on her buttocks to hold her down. “Let’s see,” he said, musingly. “Spank her first? Or delicious, hard laxan?”  
She wriggled beneath his hold. “Not laxan! No, please, I’ll be good. I’ll cook for you—”  
“You’re a terrible cook, Matara.” He lifted his knee off her and held her down with one hand between her shoulders. He stripped off his pants.  
“I’ll clean!”  
“Not something I care about.” He straddled her thighs.   
“I’ll—I’ll suck your cock until your eyes cross!”  
He laughed out loud. “Yes, you will. Just not right now.” His big hands stroked over her back and buttocks. “Perhaps I should just tie you down and leave you here. Make you wait and wait and wait for sex until you’re crying and begging me to do anything I want. Maybe my clan mates and I could put on another show for you.” He leaned over and his breath stirred the hair on the back of her neck. “How long could you hold out, little scholar?”  
She put her forehead to the lounger. “About a month.” Man, was she lying. “Longer than you!”  
“Really?” He slipped a hand between her legs and tested the wet flesh there. “How long if every time I passed you, I touched you here?”  
She gulped. “A week.”  
“Ah.” He raised up and without preamble, inserted two thick fingers into her sheath. “And if every time I passed, I did this?” He pumped her firmly.   
“A d-day.” Her sex gripped him hungrily and she bit back a cry.   
“And this?” He pressed against the front of her sex, rubbing deliciously. “How long?”  
“Stop!” she wailed. She was genuinely aroused now, and needy. He had absolute control. How did he do that to her?   
“How long?”  
“A minute! Two seconds! Denar, please!”  
“Ahh. Well, then.” He settled in and pressed his big sex against the cleft of her ass for a long, weighted moment. She held her breath.   
Then, to her surprise, he lifted off and stretched out beside her. He tilted her on her side and cupped her chin, smiling into her eyes.   
“You’re the sweetest, funniest, kindest person I’ve ever known, Susannah.” His voice was tender. “You are my heart, the very center of my existence. I love you.”  
“I—I love you, too.” She stared at him, wondering at his sudden change.  
He kissed her so softly and so warmly it was like he poured sunshine into her heart. His lips fluttered over her cheeks, her eyelids, her nose, her chin. He laid a hand over her breast and simply kept it there, comforting and caring.  
“Don’t you want laxan?”  
“Oh, I do, sweet one.” He nuzzled her neck and chuckled. “Right after you’ve sucked my cock until my eyes cross.”   
He bit her, lightly, before she knew his fangs were even out. As the joy coursed through her, he licked the spot clean and cuddled her close. “But before any of that, comes my Matara’s pleasure. Your joy first, forever.”  
He made long, slow love to her, his touches achingly gentle, his kisses almost unbearably tender. He held her gaze, showing her the passion and love in his heart. Tears came to her eyes but he kissed them away, smiling. Twice he brought her with expert care, crooning praises and wicked encouragements, making her feel she was the most cherished woman in the galaxy. Then, he groaned deeply and pumped his seed into her so long and so powerfully she felt she was overflowing with its wonderful, liquid heat. She never felt more feminine than when he pulsed into her, this powerful, complicated man surrendering everything he had to her welcoming depths. She had never felt more loved.   
“Thank you, my heart.” He murmured in her ear as he at last carried her, half asleep and so, so sated, to the bedroom. He settled down with her amid the comforting warmth of their clan. “Thank you for everything.”   
Susannah woke late, after all the clan had gone. She got up, showered and got dressed, then practiced with her language recordings as she exercised and cleaned around their quarters. She was in the galley, making a sandwich for lunch, when the door banged open and Kyrnis stood there, arms crossed.   
“Matara Susannah. Did you break our Dramok?”  
She gaped. “What?”   
Tynevek pushed past the Nobek and crossed to her. “He’s being melodramatic, as usual. But come talk with us, beauty.”  
She came around the counter and took a seat across from the lounger, where Kyrnis and Tynevek sat. She looked from one to the other. “I don’t understand. Is something wrong with Denar?” Her heart thumped. “Is he all right?”  
“He smiled at Lt. Bocc.” Kyrnis’ tone was as dark as his look.  
“Smiled?”  
“Bocc’s an asses hole. Denar dislikes his insides.”  
“Asshole. Hates his guts,” she corrected absently. “What’s wrong with smiling?”  
“He also reported late for duty.”  
She glanced at Tynevek.  
“It is unusual. I don’t believe Denar’s been late for anything in his entire life, not even his birth.” Tynevek’s face was strangely awed. “He’s also decidedly looser in his muscle tone. His shoulders are almost relaxed.” He smiled. “I know he had sex with you last night. I caught your scent all over him when I got up to shower. But luscious as you are, my loved one, I’ve never known him to come away from loving you with a change in personality.”  
“We did make love. We talked, first.”  
“Talked?” Kyrnis looked skeptical.  
“Yes. He told me a secret. I—I think he was relieved to share it.”  
“A secret?” Tynevek’s brows drew down. “What secret?”  
“I guess it’s okay to tell you. And I know, no secrets in the clan. You were there, after all.” She met their puzzled stares. “At the school? Three years ago?”  
Both men drew in sharp breaths. “He talked about it?” Tynevek asked.  
“Yes. He told me all about how you tried to save those children and how there was a surprise attack by Earther drones.”  
Tynevek’s looked had changed from puzzlement to profound sorrow. “It was a nightmare. Denar...Denar’s never spoken of it.”  
“Never? Not even to you? His clanmates? But you were there with him.”  
“We were,” Kyrnis said softly. “But we are not Dramoks. We don’t give the orders. Or not give them, in this case. Denar takes all the responsibility for what happened.”  
“But he didn’t know those drones were anywhere in the area!”  
“We know that. So does Denar. But his failure to put a watch in place is all he can see. He’s never forgiven himself for it.” Tynevek’s beautiful eyes were dark with pain. “He’s never allowed himself to speak of it. I think he believes he can never be forgiven for his mistake.”  
Kyrnis’ voice was choked and gruff. “My Dramok. He has suffered.”  
“Yet you say he told you, Susannah?”   
She nodded. “I heard him recording a vid to his fathers. I didn’t understand a lot of it but I heard enough to guess something terrible was bothering him. I’ve seen him looking very sad and angry sometimes, for no reason. I’ve always wondered why. Now I know.”  
“But how did you get him to speak of it?”  
She shrugged. “Maybe the time was right. Maybe he didn’t feel he’d be losing face if he told me.” She smiled sadly. “Maybe because I hadn’t been there, he knew he wouldn’t be adding to my pain, like he might have with you two.”  
“It pained me even more to see my Dramok hurting.” Kyrnis sounded so mournful that she went to sit beside him and take his hand.   
“I know. It hurt me, too. So, I pestered and cajoled and offered him laxan for the whole night—” the two men chuckled “—and he finally gave in.”  
Tynevek shook his head wonderingly. “Matara, you have no idea the gift you’ve just given our clan. Denar’s been holding in that pain for over three years now.”  
“I could sex you so your sweet head fell off right now,” Kyrnis said passionately.   
She gave a startled giggle. “Really?”  
“I think maybe not but my English goes when I so feel this much.”  
“I love you, too, my Nobek. I’m glad Denar is feeling better. I’m glad I didn’t break him.”  
Tynevek swept her up in a huge hug. She hugged him back, tears starting. Kyrnis took her from the Imdiko and covered her face in kisses.   
“I have to go back on duty,” he growled, putting her down. “I will show you more of my gratitude tonight, yes?”  
“Knowing Denar is better is all the thanks I need. But it still sounds wonderful.”  
Kyrnis left. Tynevek turned to kiss her once again.   
“I have to leave, too, Matara. But this is wonderful news for our clan. Kyrnis has been deeply affected by his Dramok’s pain. Denar was his first love, his first lover, and he is tied to our Dramok with not only his clan vows and his Nobek duty, but with his big heart.”  
“And you?” She caressed his cheek. “Are you better for this secret being shared?”  
“More than you know.” He sighed. “I had three little ones in my arms that day. I had them to care for right away and they occupied my mind and perhaps took some of my pain from me. They survived. Kyrnis had been following orders, though it didn’t ease his pain that much. Denar had nothing but his own conscience, and we could not help him. We all survived. But to know that those other children died in a moment, after clinging to life for two long years…” He stopped and stilled.   
“And as Imdiko, you’ve been trying to cope with everyone else’s hurt while you carried your own.” Her tears overflowed. “I’m so sorry this happened to our clan.”  
He kissed her cheek. “I hope we can all speak of it soon and grieve together at long last.”  
“So do I.”  
Tynevek left and she wandered about their quarters, thoughtful. She felt sorrow, of course, and sadness at her clan’s pain. But she was also filled with a quiet joy. All her life, she’d been Susannah alone. Yes, she’d had Mama and Papa, but she’d lost Mama early and Papa had always been lost in his studies. She’d done the same. In all those years she’d never really known what it meant to be a part of a real family. There was going to be pain and struggles and joys and tears with her clan, all their lives, she knew that. But that was part of the sweetness. Her life was no longer circumscribed by the tight circle of her own needs, wants, thoughts. By her work. She had clanmates, life partners, now, people whose lives would be forever entwined with hers. Their struggles and triumphs were hers to share. Her pains and worries and dreams were theirs to carry along with her.   
She recalled Denar’s words to her, that wild day when they’d fought in the storehouse: “You’re not going to be living down here, Susannah. You’re going to be dying.”   
Damn the man. Her Dramok was wise beyond her understanding. He’d told her how impoverished and desiccated her life would become if she stayed alone in the storehouse. As much as she loved the Collection and her mission, it was nothing compared to the depth, height, and breadth of life with others. With her clan.   
Hope and excitement filled her being. She was facing one hell of a roller-coaster ride but it was going to be glorious.


	12. Chapter 12

ALIEN RESCUE—Fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER TWELVE

C12, S1  
“We’re making an unscheduled stop at Deryin,” Denar said the following week. “It seems there’s a small party of Plasians stranded there after their ship failed and they were forced to make an emergency landing. We’ll pick them up and take them to the next station so they can catch a transporter back to Plasius.”  
“I’m going in the party. I may be able to help determine if their ship can be repaired before we lift off again.”  
“I’ll be with you as well.” Tynevek fed Susannah a bit of dresel. “I understand one of them is elderly and needs attention.”  
She grinned. “My clan to the rescue.”   
“You’ll have the place to yourself for a couple of days,” Kyrnis said. “But I have already engaged people to look in on you.”   
“I’ll miss you all.”   
“We’ll miss you.” Denar kissed her cheek in passing. He disappeared into the study and came out with a vid chip. “I found this in one of the cargo areas. It looked like something you might enjoy.”  
She yelped when she saw the title. “Children of Paradise! Oh, that’s one of my favorites!” She clutched it to her chest. “It’s so romantic and so heartbreaking!”  
Tynevek tilted his head. “Heartbreaking is good?”  
“Because it’s so emotional. You love and you dream and you cry along with the lovers in the story. It’s cathartic.” She shook her head. “Well, maybe it’s a girl thing. You know how I don’t understand how pummeling each other senseless is good?”  
Her clanmates nodded.   
“It’s the same sort of thing. You get satisfaction from watching fighting and action, I get satisfaction from watching love stories, even some sad ones. See?”  
Shaking heads. She sighed. “Trust me. It’s a good thing.”  
The landing party left for the surface of Deryin two days later. Susannah worked on her research, practiced her Kalquorian, cleaned their quarters, and watched the vid. When she finished wiping her tears at the ending, she realized she was lonely, even though some of the crew stopped by to check on her every day.   
Loneliness was a new sensation for her. Well, relatively new. She had lived alone in the storehouse for so long that it had seemed normal to be by herself. She hadn’t realized how much she needed companionship until the clan had come along. Now that she was with them so much of the time, she understood the sense of loss she’d never permitted herself to feel while she was trying to survive in solitude.   
How her life had changed in such a short time!   
The next morning, as she was finishing breakfast, she grinned to think how she’d finally grown used to having them feed her, even when she felt like baby bird in the nest, being cared for by great big parent birds. She wished she could feed them, sometimes, but she knew it wouldn’t feel right to them, and they might even feel insulted. It was part of their need to control and to serve, at the same time.   
She wanted a baby bird of her own.   
She sighed in frustration. It was taking so long for her to become fertile. She’d become so obsessed with checking her hormone levels that Tynevek had finally hidden the ov-kit and forbidden her to check the calendar.   
“The stress isn’t good for you, my Matara. I am as eager as you but your body may rebel against the pressure. Let nature take its course, love. It won’t be long.”  
But it was too long! She thought about hunting for the ov-kit but she knew Tynevek most likely took it to the med bay with him and left it there. Or stashed it somewhere she couldn’t reach.   
“Oh, the hell with it!”   
She changed quickly and headed for the medical level. She waited only a short time before Doctor Greln welcomed her into an exam space. His large eyes and wide smile reminded her of a friendly hound but she knew he was as sharp as they came, according to Tynevek.   
“Matara Susannah,” he boomed, offering her a seat. “You are well? No bumps on the head?”  
“I’m fine. But, I’m getting pretty frustrated with waiting for my hormone levels to rise. It’s been three months and I’m still a quart low. Is something wrong?”  
The doctor tapped his tablet and called up her file. “Mmm. I haven’t seen anything yet that indicates anything’s out of the ordinary. But you were on Noxovul for your entire adult life so far. You’ve had only one unmanipulated cycle. You have no other women close enough to affect your rhythms. Plus, I know that you were malnourished for a time. You had some low-level rad exposure, too, which we’ve treated, but it could slow things down. All these things, plus the stress of all the changes in your life, can affect fertility.”  
She sighed and sagged. “I just wish there was some way to speed things up. I really want to have a baby, Doc.”  
He beamed. “Nothing makes me happier to hear, Matara. Your clan is eager, too, I know. Tynevek is over the moons.”  
“That’s the thing. They’ve been waiting so long for a Matara and the chance to have children. I want to give them one, and soon.”  
“Well, there are ways to enhance fertility.” He tilted his head, looking serious. “But they can be hard on a Matara’s body and they aren’t always effective.”  
She sat up, alert. “What ways? Tell me.”  
He outlined two treatments. “One will stimulate egg production. The other will stimulate ovulation. Your egg production is fine, we’ve already established that. You Earthers are so abundant! And all of your clanmates have high sperm counts and motility. It’s the hormones that stimulate releasing of all those eggs that seem to be taking their time.”  
“How soon can I take the treatment?”  
He held up a hand. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk this over with your clan? They might want to be a part of this.”  
Tears sprang to her eyes. “I want this for them. I—I didn’t want to have children when I met them. They clanned me even though I didn’t want to be a child-bearer. Please, Doc. Help me give this to them.”  
He chewed his lip. “I still say letting your body find its own way is best, Matara. You’re still young and so are your clanmates.”  
“But you can do it?” Her heart was racing. “Soon?”  
“I can do it right now. It’s a simple injection. One in each ovary.”  
“That’s it?”  
“That’s it. Just go home and wait for your mates to return and they’ll take it from there. You should have a release within twenty-four hours.”  
“Please, Doc. I want it.”  
“All right. You’re a grown woman and I know your mates are going to be happy.”  
She almost skipped on the way out of the med unit. The two treatments were like all Kalquorian injections: transdermal and painless. She placed a hand over her abdomen and smiled.   
“Come on, little eggs,” she whispered. “Pop out and get ready to meet my clanmates’ swimmers.”  
She giggled and tried to maintain her calm as she passed a clutch of ship’s personnel walking to the mess. The men nodded respectfully and went on. She climbed to the next level, on her way to the library, and a group of officers came toward her, again, nodding and smiling.   
They passed and then suddenly she heard them stop, hissing, not three feet beyond her. She glanced over her shoulder with a smile, then gulped and turned back around. Their formsuits were bulging at the crotch, the color of their eyes had deepened, and all four of them had dropped their fangs. Cinnamon scent rose on the air.  
She went on, keeping a measured pace, heading for the library door. What had that been about? She couldn’t possibly be sending out a scent this soon, could she? Doc had said it wouldn’t be for twenty-four hours.   
Probably just a fluke, she told herself as she sat down at a vid carrel. She put in earbuds and settled in to listen to Kalquorian music history recordings.   
She glanced up as she suddenly scented cinnamon again. She looked around and saw a young man stopped dead in his tracks, staring at her. His nostrils were flared, his suit was bulging, his eyes almost black, fangs fully extended.   
She swallowed. She needed something to break the spell of lust that had gripped the aroused Kalquorian.   
No signs of vulnerability, she knew that much. She saw from the piping on his formsuit that, blessedly, he wasn’t a Nobek. He was an Imdiko. She might have a chance here.   
She rose and nodded, ever so slightly. “I am a clanned Matara,” she said quietly. “I am sorry if I have made this awkward, Imdiko. I will return to my clan now.”  
He was breathing shallowly, rapidly. She backed toward the door, thanking every power in the universe that he wasn’t between her and her exit.   
She made the door and popped out. She didn’t breathe until she was well on her way toward the stairs to her level. The poor guy had been transfixed. It might even have been his first time ever scenting a...a fertile female. He hadn’t really even known what to do, though she was sure his instincts would have kicked in in short order, had she stayed.   
She had to get to their quarters and stay there until her mates arrived. She was so intent on getting home that she didn’t see the figures in the alcove just at the top of the stairs until it was too late. The blow came down on her head and everything blinked out. 

C12, S2  
“How the devil did a Plasian ship get such an old accelerator?” Kyrnis asked Brekin as they trudged around the disabled ship. “I thought Saucin Israla has been bent on updating things on her planet.”  
Brekin shook his head. “No idea. What I can’t figure out is how it even got into that ship. The ship itself is only three years old. Its accelerator and the fuel delivery link had to have been at least eight years or older. Why would anyone stick that junk into a perfectly good ship?”  
They came to where Denar, a Plasian captain, and another member of the “Dranisi’s” crew stood under a rexsennel tree. Denar’s face was dark.   
“What did you find aboard?” Kyrnis asked. “The engine compartments were a confusing mess.”  
“Someone got into the guidance pattern sources,” the Plasian said, his long, thin face anxious beneath his head of rippling, olive-colored curls. “They fed course notes into our flight plan that bent our path into this sector.”  
“Why?” Brekin demanded, brows drawn.  
“There are a few reasons I can think of.” Denar’s tone was grim. “One, whoever did this wanted to scuttle the ship. But Captain Millin says there was nothing special onboard his ship and no one out of the ordinary.”  
“Why else?” Kyrnis asked.  
“They wanted to land here on Deryin.”  
Brekin scratched his head. “But why Deryin? It’s mostly just a fueling station.”  
Denar chewed his lip. “Another reason could be that they wanted to intercept the ‘Dranisi.’”  
“Or they wanted us off of it.” Kyrnis swore. He was on full alert now, his warrior role overtaking his role as an engineer. “We are vulnerable.”  
“Let’s not be hasty.” Denar raised a hand. “There was no sign of stowaways and I’ve commed back to the ship to do a sweep for any other ships in the sector. It still might be an error or someone trying to cut corners on your ship’s construction, Millin. I mean no offense, sometimes these things can happen.”  
Millin’s large eyes turned toward his ship, then to the fueling and rest compound where his passengers waited. “We should wait here until you’ve secured things onboard your ship, Captain Denar. Yes?”  
“Good thought.” Denar was about to turn when his tablet crackled with an incoming com. He walked away to listen. Kyrnis saw his mouth grow taut and his spine suddenly stiffen.   
Denar was racing back toward them before he’d finished closing the com link. “There’s been a breach onboard ‘Dranisi.’” He passed them, already on the run for their shuttle. “Some Mataras have been killed.”  
“Susannah?” Kyrnis asked.  
“No word.”  
They were in the air in a matter of minutes. Brekin and Denar took the pilots’ seats, shouting commands to the rest of the small crew. When they were aloft and on course for the transporter, Kyrnis mashed the link on his own com and tried to reach Susannah in their quarters. Tynevek was nearby, watching him.   
“Nothing.” Kyrnis felt sick rage rising.   
“It’s likely she’s just in the library or at the pool,” the Imdiko said staunchly.   
“Have you tried to reach her?”  
Tynevek nodded. Kyrnis saw his eyes go dim. “I can’t find her, either.”  
Kyrnis growled, deep in his chest. He didn’t like the feeling he was getting. “I’m going to try to reach the patrol station.” He tapped his com again. “Maybe they’ve got news.”  
“Kyrnis!” A voice crackled over the com. “Where are you?”  
“On our way up from Deryin. What’s going on, Granin?”  
“The situation is stable at the moment.”   
“Go on.”  
“Officers found two Mataras dead in their quarters. Throats ripped out.”  
Tynevek swore vividly under his breath. Kyrnis felt his own body growing cold.  
“A number of other women have gone missing. We’re searching now. That’s all we know. I have to sign off.”  
“Wait, what about—”  
Kyrnis stared at Tynevek. The gentle Imdiko had vanished; he was now another Kalquorian warrior, growling with menace. Still no word about their beloved. Tynevek struggled visibly for his composure. “This will set back relations with Earth even further if it turns out Kalquorians killed those Mataras. What slimy gurluck would murder women?”  
“We’ll know more when we arrive. Let’s be prepared.” Kyrnis turned to secure his weapons, adding more from the weapons storage compartment.   
He noticed that neither of them spoke the fearful question in their hearts: where was Susannah?

C12, S3  
Susannah came awake with a gasp, spluttering. Water dripped over her eyes but she shook it away and glared at the man standing before her with the empty cup. He was Earther, she saw. How had an Earther male gotten on board the Dranisi?  
“Welcome back, whore.” His teeth flashed in a nasty grin.   
She didn’t want to talk. Her head was pounding and she realized she was bound at the wrists. All she wanted was her clanmates.   
“Did you think you were safe because you were whoring yourself out to those animals?” The man’s awful smile remained even with his nasty words.   
She licked her lips. Water was a relief, at least. How long had she been out? What was going on?  
The Earther kicked her leg, his heavy boot connecting with her shin. She gasped and pulled into herself in pain.   
“Answer me, bitch! Why did you give your sacred body to the enemy? Why did you spread your legs for them? Did they force you?”  
She looked up and her lip trembled as she spoke. She wasn’t about to bring down any extra trouble on the heads of her clanmates.   
“No, they didn’t force me. I am a weak, stupid female. I—I just gave in to my true, sinful nature nature. God forgive me.”  
“Damn right you did.” Mean satisfaction glinted in his hard gray eyes. “Although I doubt that even God will forgive your betrayal or your filthy weakness.”   
She hung her head, hiding the fear and fury in her heart. She had to think. Where were they? What was this man’s plan? He seemed slightly appeased that she sounded like a regular Earther woman. Did he know who she was? Clearly, he knew she was with a clan.   
She heard a door hiss open and footsteps entering. She glanced up from under her lashes. These feet could not belong to any Earther male, unless they belonged to an especially large professional ball player. In Kalquorian boots.  
“This one’s awake,” the Earther said. “What’s happening below?”  
A deep voice answered, a voice Susannah knew too well. Although she’d always heard it filled with friendly, good cheer.   
“They found the females we left in the officers’ quarters. There’s a ship-wide search for their killers.” Ansellis growled. “We don’t have a lot of time.”  
“The other women are in the next room. We found this one wandering the hallways. She’s repentant of her sins, not that that will do her any good.”  
“I’ll deal with this one.”  
“You know her?”  
“I said I’d deal with her. Your job right now is to get the other females ready to board the shuttle.”  
An image floated to the forefront of Susannah’s mind. Neneer and another man arguing. Back on the base, near the landing field when she’d been taken up for a flyover. That had been Ansellis! She hadn’t recalled him, she’d be so involved in everything else. He had been Chief of Security on base and now he was First Mate. He had power, influence, and access to any place and anyone he wanted. What was he up to?  
The Earther replied. “All right. This is your show.”  
“And yours, Donovan.” Ansellis’ voice was sharp. “You’re in this up to your neck. Don’t think I won’t give you up to the authorities in a heartbeat if you so much as flinch, do you understand?” Ansellis hissed and the other man backed quickly away.   
“All right, all right. Keep your fangs in. I’m going.”  
Susannah heard the door whoosh open and closed. Ansellis squatted down in front of her and lifted her chin with his hand.   
“Stop pretending, Susannah,” he said, softly. “It won’t work with me.”  
She raised her eyes to meet his. He gave a hiss and his fangs dropped again. “You’re in heat,” he snarled. All traces of the amiable man she’d come to know were gone.  
She fought her terror. He was already spicing the air around them with his arousal. She had to find a way to protect herself. Her clan was far away, off ship. But she wasn’t going to give this asshole the chance to rape her.   
He chuckled. She didn’t like the sound; it was nothing like his usual mirth. Or was this real and the other an act? “How perfect. So, Denar’s little Earther bitch is ripe. Wouldn’t he love it if he missed his chance to stick his cocks in you? If you dropped a mutt not of his clan’s making?”  
She swallowed. God help her. He was one of the purity proponents. Just as Earth considered mating with Kalquorians an abomination, some Kalquorians believed that interbreeding with Earther women was an insult to their race. There had been serious attacks against Mataras on Kalquor and even on the all-Earther colonies by those trying to prevent the so-called contamination of the race. Some women had been viciously murdered. Was this Ansellis’ motive? Purity?  
She tried to pull herself in closer, make herself smaller. Ansellis had seemed so nice. How had she been so mistaken in his intentions?  
“Thought I was one of them, didn’t you?” Ansellis said, as if he could read her thoughts. “Thought I would accept an Earther she-dog? That I’d be happy that men of my race were willing to fuck you just for the sake of re-populating Kalquor?”  
She raised her chin. “I am clanned.”   
His hand smashed across her mouth. She tasted blood. His voice was like some grinding machine.  
“How dare you presume to speak of our clans? Clans exist for the good of Kalquor, to insure that we protect our women and our offspring. Kalquorian women and Kalquorian offspring.” He looked at her like she was something stuck on his shoe. “You are no more clanned than any other Earther bitch. You’re just a fuck-toy, a way to slake their lusts. A clan can only be complete when a true Kalquorian Matara is in place.”  
She simply stared at him. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of an emotional response. He was wrong about her clan. They loved her. And she loved them. She’d stake her life on it.  
“Do you have any idea who Denar and Kyrnis are?”  
She kept staring. What was he talking about?  
“They’re the sons of chief Galactic Council members. Their mothers were real Mataras. They are rich, powerful, and important. Do you imagine they really mean to bring an Earther into their clans? Do you think their families will be proud to have a mongrel for a grandchild?”  
There was a new breathiness to his voice. She saw his suit was bulging with his cocks, but she wondered if he would act on his own lusts, especially since he seemed to think contact with an Earther woman was contaminating.   
But she hadn’t known that Kyrnis and Denar were from such eminent families. Why hadn’t they told her? What was more, could Ansellis be right? Would she be accepted by such pure, proud parents?   
“Neneer warned me about—”  
“Neneer, that sap-brained fool. He played his part, though. He directed as many unattached, unassimilated Mataras as possible to take transport on the Dranisi.”  
“He didn’t direct me here.”  
“No, because the idiot hoped to get you away from Denar. Why he imagined he had a shot at Denar with or without you was beyond me, but it kept Neneer serving our purpose. Before we left, I made sure the pathetic little whiner couldn’t open his mouth against us, ever.”   
He’d killed Neneer? The Imdiko was a weasel, yes, but he hadn’t deserved to be murdered just for being infatuated with an unavailable Dramok. She gulped, seeing the crazy rising ever higher in Ansellis’ eyes.  
Ansellis smeered. “Fucking Clan Denar. I tried to keep them contained. Tried to keep Larsa and his men from going out to get them. To let them simply stay under the dirt, with you. But no, they all came back and they dragged you with them.” He rubbed his chin, scowling.   
She kept still, letting him rant. Ansellis paced before her.  
“As for Imdiko Tynevek, he’s a lost cause. He thinks it’s our duty to patch up women that even Earthers have rejected. Because their worthless government chose a coward’s way out and tricked us when we invaded Earth, he thinks it’s our responsibility to spend millions rehabilitating them. The man’s a dangerous crackpot. Again, I tried to get Earthers to rise up against him for damaging that Earther girl, but he bested me on that.” He shook his head. “Tynevek might be overlooked. He’s Kalquorian, at least. But add you and a mutt-child, and Denar and Kyrnis have no futures when they return home.”  
“Why do you care so much?”  
“I care about my people! Denar and his stupid clanmates and others like them are ruining it for the rest of us!”  
She kept her voice soft. “You sound jealous.”   
He slapped her again. “Shut your mouth! Just because you have been educated above the usual level of your pathetic race doesn’t make you my equal! You have no idea what is in my mind.”   
His mouth curled up for just a moment. “I tried to find a way to get Denar to leave you behind. And that waste of breath Neneer failed to convince you. No one wanted to listen to my arguments that they were setting a dangerous precedent with this whole farce about guardians and wards. They just wanted their little Earther whore to be available only for them to fuck.” He chuckled. “In the end, I protected Denar and his clan. Neneer would be happy about that. Not only are they off-board during all of this, but soon they can’t be swayed by the promise of a filthy Earther’s cunt. Their parents will be as grateful as Neneer.”   
“There are men here who want the Earthers to join their clans. And some have already clanned Earther women.” She spoke through split lips. “There are other assimilated Mataras on this ship. I think they will stop you.”   
“As I said, you don’t even begin to compare to a Kalquorian’s intellect. You think nothing.” He rose and yanked her to her feet by her bound wrists. “You’re just a sperm dump. And we’ve already dealt with the other so-called assimilateds. They won’t be making trouble for us. Let’s go.”  
She staggered behind him as he dragged her toward the door. He looked up and down the hall and then hurried her into another room. She almost gasped as she saw dozens of Earther women bound and gagged, sitting around on the floor. Two Earther males and another Kalquorian, all of them armed, stood guard. In a second, she counted only two exits. Both guarded.  
Ansellis shoved her toward the Kalquorian. “You can have her, Diljek. Take her in front of these she-dogs so they know exactly what it is to have an alien rape them. That ought to teach them to come sniffing around, wanting handouts and favors and trying to mate with us. Oh, and by the way, she’s ripe for breeding.”  
Susannah stared up at the young Kalquorian. It was the towering young guard from Admiral Raka’s quarters. He went into full-blown sexual response to her in a matter of seconds, fangs and all. Oh, and he was Nobek, she saw. This day just kept getting better.   
He grabbed her up and began to strip her. She struggled and kicked at the huge, hard body. She heard Ansellis laughing as he left the room.  
Diljek crushed her close as he struggled with the zipper on her pants. “Don’t fight too hard,” he whispered in her ear. “I can’t resist if you fight me. Your scent is too strong.”  
She jerked in shock. His hands weren’t gentle and he continued to pull at her clothing, but she realized he wasn’t really removing anything. She slapped at him and he growled and tore a sleeve on her blouse.  
He spoke again, under his breath. “Please, Matara. I have to stay with these others. They’re in grave danger.”  
He was…protecting her? She decided to go with it, in hope beyond hope.  
“Stop it, you alien scum!” She shoved at his hands. Shades of her “spaceman” game with Denar!   
He wrestled with her, panting. “You can’t get away, Earther whore!” He twisted around so they were sideways, away from the horrified eyes of the others. He whispered into the ear on that side. “Faint, Matara. Now, if you value your life and your clan.”  
She gasped once and went limp in his grasp. He snarled and shook her. She could feel the fierce heat of his erections against her thighs. She knew it was taking a Herculean effort for the man to disobey both Ansellis and his own biology. She let herself flop in his arms.   
“Bitch!” He let her slide to the floor. “You’re worthless to me unconscious!”  
She lay where she was, her mind whirling. Ansellis was in revolt, but Diljek had somehow infiltrated his cadre. He might be their only hope of survival. She had to do something to help him and the frightened women. But what could she do with two other Earther men watching?   
Her clan would come for her. They had to. But she wasn’t going to sit and wait. At least she wasn’t bound. She was going to resist in every way she could. And now, at least, she had an ally. It would have to be enough. 

C12, S4  
Denar, Kyrnis, and Tynevek were back on the “Dranisi” in record time. All of them raced for the bridge. They stood with Brekin as Captain Granin showed them the layout of the level where the women were being held. He rotated the image in the air before them and pointed to a wall.   
“We think they’ve breached this area. They can pass through it and reach the connecting dock to the shuttle bay, here.” Granin indicated an area where several shuttle pods lay in readiness for an emergency.   
“Get rid of them.” Denar’s words were dangerously quiet. “Order all shuttles to XLS5. Send them pilotless, just in case. I won’t sacrifice good men to these gurlucks.”  
“Do we know who’s holding them?” asked Tynevek.   
“Not sure. Rosters show three of our people are missing. We don’t know if they’ve been taken, are holding off the attackers, or—” Granin stopped, his mouth twisting.   
“Or if they’re part of the attack,” Kyrnis finished for him. Granin nodded, but added, slowly, “Or if they are dead.”   
“Who?” Denar worked to transform the heat of his fury to icy resolve.  
Granin looked even more pained. “Navigation Officer Commander Nobek Frent, who was off-duty, Second Lt. Nobek Diljek, and First Mate Dramok Ansellis.”  
“Ansellis?” Denar scowled. “How the hell does a First Mate end up in a situation like this?”  
“Diljek is part of the Admiral’s personal guard,” Kyrnis said. “How is he involved?”  
Granin shrugged. “All we know is that two junior officers returned to their quarters and found two dead Mataras with their throats torn out. Not long after came the report that a contingent of the rescued Earthers was missing from their mess. No one saw them being taken but a security vid shows two Earther males running up the corridor nearby just before the report.”  
Denar hissed. “And our Matara? Susannah? What word?”  
Granin shook his head. “Nothing. She may well be hiding and that’s to the good.”  
“We have to be allowed onto our level to search our quarters,” Kyrnis said.  
Brekin shook his head. “I’ve already checked. They swept your rooms not ten minutes after the report came in that the other Mataras were missing. They did not find your mate. But neither was there any sign of struggle or invasion.” His handsome young face was sympathetic. “Not that that’s much comfort.”  
“Shuttles are away, sir.”   
Granin nodded to the ensign. “I—”  
“Tynevek!”  
The Imdiko turned as his colleague, Greln, came racing up. The other doctor took Tynevek to one side for a hurried conversation. Denar heard Tynevek snarl and Greln raced away toward the medical bay. Tynevek’s face had gone gray. He looked like he was going to be sick.   
“What is it?” Denar snapped as his Imdiko approached.  
“Greln says he administered two strong injections of hyperclomiphene citrate to Susannah this morning.”  
“What is that?” Kyrnis asked.  
“It’s an ovulation-inducing drug. It acts quickly, within twenty-four hours at the outside, in that dosage.” He lifted his hands. “She insisted. She wanted to be ready when we returned to the ship.”  
“Susannah’s ovulating?” Denar almost choked on the words.  
“Not just ovulating. She’s ovulating at much higher than normal levels. She may be releasing multiple eggs. She’s extremely fertile right now and her body is working hard to keep up. Her health—her life—could be compromised.”  
“Great suns.” Denar whirled. “Brekin, Granin, we’re going after these bastards.”  
“Captain, you should wait—” Granin began.   
Denar’s fangs dropped as he snarled. “Our Matara is in danger. We’re going.”  
“I’m coming with you Captain,” Brekin said. His usually mildly raspy voice sounded like sandpaper caught in his throat.  
Denar shook his head as he strapped another knife to his belt. “You need to stay here with the captain. We need clear heads on the bridge.”  
“No, sir. I’m coming with you. Diljek is my Nobek.”   
Denar looked up to see anger and determination in Brekin’s eyes. He nodded.   
“We’ll take the stairs to the mess level and try to come around the port side. Tynevek, you and Kyrnis flank us at starboard. They can’t go anywhere with all the shuttles deployed. We’ll have them trapped like rats.”

C12, S5  
Susannah felt someone’s foot prod her side. She didn’t dare move or look.   
“Susannah. It’s me, Jeanette. From the library?”   
She gave a twitch of her finger to show she’d heard, then held her breath. Jeanette’s voice was muffled and she realized the other woman had managed to loosen her gag.   
“These guys watching us? I know Donovan. He was a guard at my prison. He’s nuts.” She gave a short, rasping sob. “He’s the one that...that burned my hands.”  
Susannah twitched her elbow in reply. Her heart ached at the thought of Donovan torturing this young woman who made pottery and loved happy endings. More reason to fight.  
Jeanette went on. “The other two are just kids. They’ll fold if they lose their leader. It’s the bigwig you’ve got to watch out for, the commandant or commander or whatever. He’s the one running the show.”  
Susannah’s mind raced. Did she mean Ansellis? Or was there some other male she hadn’t yet encountered?  
“I think Kathy’s almost out of her wrist bonds. Then she’ll do mine. There’s no way we’re going to go back to Earth with these assholes. Pardon my French.”  
Susannah gave a faint nod. More allies. But who was the “commandant?” Were there others from Jeanette’s Earther prison on board? Had they stowed away? What the hell was going on?  
She swallowed against tears of frustration. She wanted her clanmates. Were they back onboard? Were they in danger?  
Kyrnis had sworn he’d kill for her without a second thought. Denar had promised his undying protection. Tynevek had vowed he’d die before he let anyone harm her. She knew that if they were able, they’d come for her.  
But did they even know she was here? And what if they weren’t able?  
She steeled herself against a wave of fear. She was going to get free somehow and let them know she was here, even if she had to set the place on fire.   
“When you’re in danger, use what you have: your brain, your body, and the environment,” Kyrnis had instructed her. “You never know what will be useful. Be still and think.”  
Come on. Think. Think “Die Hard” and “The Great Escape” and “The Legion of Galactic Protection!”  
Then, she had it. “Die Hard.” She began to yawn, as if just waking up. She felt a twinge in her stomach and then a wave of nausea washed over her. Oh, great. The ovulation meds were making her sick.   
It doesn’t matter, she told herself. She had to do this.   
She struggled to a sitting position. She spotted one of the Earther guards and grinned and waved. “Hey, sweetie! I need to pee. Help a girl out, would you? You better let some of the rest of us use the bathroom, too. Otherwise it’s going to get messy around here.”


	13. Chapter 13

ALIEN RESCUE—Fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER THIRTEEN

C13, S1  
Kyrnis rounded the corner and hunkered down, out of sight of the big window into the auditorium. He looked at Tynevek, who had dropped and rolled into an alcove. In other circumstances, he might have smiled at his gymnastic clanmate. But this situation was far too grim for smiles.   
Two armed Earther guards stood at attention outside the room. They would be no trouble. But he had no idea what or who might be inside, with the Mataras. He scowled. He also had no inkling whether Susannah was in there with them. The thought of her in peril turned his mind red and his fangs dropped in a silent snarl.   
He calmed himself. His Matara didn’t need a Nobek whose mind was clouded by emotion. He had to be clear if he was to save her.   
He motioned to Tynevek and as one, they sprang. The two smaller Earther males, taken by surprise, didn’t have a chance to utter a sound. In a blink, they lay on the floor, unconscious, as the two Kalquorians quickly bound and gagged them with their own belts and shirts. Tynevek took one and Kyrnis took the other and they heaved them into a nearby supply closet. Kyrnis disabled the door in short order.   
He nodded to his Imdiko and they moved toward the auditorium. Kyrnis put his ear to the door and listened. All at once he began to grin. Tynevek looked at him in alarm, but Kyrnis waved a hand. He’d found their Matara. Their precious girl was inside, all right.   
And their beautiful, sweet, stubborn little scholar was delivering some data at that very moment. Suns, how he loved her!  
Tynevek stepped up and put his ear to the door. His eyes went wide. “Stupid bastards. Who did they think they were dealing with?”  
“Not the Curator, that’s for sure.” They exchanged proud grins.   
They dared a peek through the small slit of a window into the room. “What the—?” Kyrnis spluttered.  
“Our Matara is topless! Oh, shit.”  
Another Earther, gun drawn, charged them from out of nowhere. Tynevek somersaulted at his legs, knocked him onto his face, and took him out with a quick twist of the neck.   
Kyrnis read the man’s military ID tag. “You should have been faster, Donovan. My Imdiko is one in a million.” He glanced at the door to the auditorium in wonder and alarm. He nodded to Tynevek and they moved.

C13, S2  
Denar and Brekin were at the top of the stairs when they heard the elevator on the level below hiss open. They took what shelter they could find, knives at the ready.   
“The shuttles were deployed, sir.” What the hell? It was Ansellis! “We can’t get the women off the ship.”  
Denar stiffened at the sound of the next voice. He shot a glance at Brekin and saw that the other Dramok had recognized it, too.   
“If need be, they can take my personal transport. I can always say they stole it. After all, that’s how you got the men here.”  
“As you wish. But I need to inform you that we came into possession of something we can use to our advantage.”  
“What is that?”  
They were walking away and Denar had to creep out of his hiding place to hear them.   
“We have Susannah Talcott.” Ansellis sounded pleased with himself.  
There was a hiss. “You idiot! Dramok Denar’s father is the one who appointed me!”  
“She’s just another Earther bitch.” Ansellis said it casually but Denar thought he heard fear beneath his easy words. “I gave her to Diljek. She’s in heat. I ordered him to rape her in front of the other females to teach them a lesson. When they get back to Earth, they’ll tell the others to stay away from our people.”  
“I don’t like this. Take me—”  
Their voices faded away. Denar looked to Brekin who had an odd look on his face. The younger man snapped to attention.   
“We have to get in there. Denar, don’t worry about Diljek. He may respond to your Matara but he won’t rape her. I know him. He won’t hurt your mate.”  
Denar’s voice shook with suppressed rage. “If he does, there’s no way you’ll stop me from killing him.”  
Brekin nodded. “I know.” His face was grim but his eyes were confident.  
Denar motioned for them to descend. “I hope Kyrnis and Tynevek are in place.”

C13, S3  
“You will shut up, whore, or I’ll shut you up!” the Earther guard shrieked at Susannah.   
“You need to hear this!” Susannah rested her hands on her hips. “The quality of mercy is not strained. It falleth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.”  
The other Earther groaned. “What the hell is she talking about?”   
Diljek chuckled. “She’s one crazy bitch. I haven’t been this entertained in months.” He turned mocking eyes on her. “Go on, Earther mutt. Tell us more.”  
Susannah strode among the other women. She gathered her voice and started into another rant. She blessed Diljek for his influence over the other two guards. He was impressively big and his sharp, fierce features were enough to give anyone pause. But his eyes were firmly fixed on her and not on the Mataras.  
“This day is call’d the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbors, And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian.’ Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars—” She glanced around. More women had loosened their bonds. “—And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.’ Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, But he’ll remember, with advantages, What feats he did that day!”  
“Oh, come off it! This is bilge, man. Aren’t you supposed to be humping this little whore?”  
Diljek turned his dark eyes on the Earther. “Relax. Let her put on her show. I’ll get my cocks in her soon.” His voice was lazy but full of sexual threat.  
Susannah swallowed hard. The man was a damned good actor. At least she hoped he was acting.  
Her ploy from “Die Hard” hadn’t netted her much. One of the Earther guards handed her a trash basket and told her to fire away. Arguing with him about it had bought them a few moments of precious time. Other women had begged for relief, as well, but their guard got annoyed and cut them off after two or three. She’d even tried an old Earther ploy, saying to the guards as she sauntered past that she and her sister Mataras could endure anything but being shut up in a closet. One of the Kalquorian guards looked ready to shove her into a cupboard when another Earther guard held up a hand.   
“Don’t be buying into her bullshit, Bocc,” he drawled. “She’s trying to run a Compere Lapin on your ass.” Ah, so this was the hated Lt. Bocc!  
“Comp What?”   
“Brer Rabbit,” another Earther offered. “Trickster stories. Made an enemy let him loose by saying the worse thing that could happen to him was to be thrown into a patch of nettles. So he did. Rabbit was raised in the nettles and got clean away.” He sneered at Susannah. “Gotta get up earlier to fool us, bitch.”  
That was a washout. Where were the others? Was the ship truly captured? What was happening outside? She glanced down and saw that another Matara had her hands free and was working on another woman’s bonds. That was when Susannah had bounced up and starting spouting Shakespeare.  
They needed more time. More distractions. After a brief pause, Susannah got another idea. She whirled to face the guards, and began to speak again, unbuttoning her blouse as she strode across the room. She prayed a pep talk from “Henry V” would be effective on the women. Naked ta-tas should occupy the guards.  
“And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered—” She had the first three buttons undone. “—We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother;—”   
She had all the buttons undone. She shrugged off the blouse and let it fall to the floor. Another wave of nausea rolled through her but she breathed carefully and went on, slipping one bra strap down her shoulder.   
“—Be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here—” another strap, “—and hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us—” down went the bra “—upon Saint Crispin’s day!”   
She stood before the guards, chin up, arms out. Both Earther males were struggling with themselves, she saw. On one hand, they were as titillated as any Kalquorian at the sight of her bare breasts. On the other, they were also trained to be outraged and furious at any sexual display from a woman. If they had been on Earth, they had the right to kill her on the spot. Or rape her and then kill her.   
She was plucked up from behind and held against a rock-hard chest. “That’s enough running your mouth, bitch. Time to learn your lesson.” Diljek put a hand to her throat.  
Fear raced down her spine. Nausea raced up her digestive track. She took another deep breath and saw the horrified faces of the women sitting below her dangling feet. Was Diljek going to go through with this? Oh, help. There was cinnamon in the air!  
A voice rang out over the room. “Sholt!”   
Diljek once again dropped her in a heap on the floor and came to attention. Susannah scrambled to her knees as Admiral Raka strode into the room, Ansellis at his side.   
Well, shit. So this was their “commandant.”   
The huge, imposing Admiral came to stand over her. His look was in no way benign.  
“So, Earther, is this how you seduced my captain and his clanmates?” His keen eyes took in her bare chest, and she saw his nostrils flare as her scent registered.   
Terrific. Now the biggest, baddest Kalquorian of them all had a hard-on for her. Hard-ons? Oh, god, she was gibbering in her own mind.  
“I hadn’t intended to include you in our cleansing. I had no wish to cross Sidner, Denar’s Dramok father. Or Nobek Kyrnis’ father and uncle. But I see I have no choice.”  
“You killed those women, didn’t you?”  
“Suns, no. I’d never dirty myself that way. No, Ansellis saw to their dispatch.”  
“But why kill them? Why not just send them back with the others?”  
“You ask too many questions. Denar and his clan should have disciplined you better by now.”  
Susannah looked down. “Fine. I’ll be quiet. But Admiral, I have just one more question.”  
He sighed. “What is it?”  
She pointed. “Is there a smudge on your boots?”  
“Of course there isn’t,” he snarled.   
She leaned forward, heaved, and deposited her breakfast, right onto the Admiral’s beautiful, hand sewn, imported suede boots.   
“There is now.”  
All hell broke loose.

C13, S4  
Kyrnis drew up sharply as he entered the auditorium. Who the hell was in charge of this mess? And why the fuck was his Matara running around half naked? Was that Diljek who’d been holding her? He had no more time to think.  
He waded into the seething mass of people that filled the auditorium. He saw several women rush the two Earther guards and bring them to the ground in a fury of nails, teeth, fists and feet. Tynevek vaulted over a fallen table and raced for Susannah.   
He was too late. Admiral Raka! The older man was both fast and strong. He had Susannah up in his arms and was out the door before he could blink. Kyrnis took the other door in pursuit. He saw Denar and Brekin racing after the fleeing Admiral. He was about to follow when Ansellis appeared before him, snarling.   
“Forget her, Kyrnis. Diljek’s already raped her on my orders. Besides, she’s just Earther filth. And the resistance will still go on.”  
Without a word, Kyrnis waded into him at gale force. Ansellis had his knife out and he drove him back with a vicious slice to the gut. Kyrnis evaded him, pulled his own knife from his boot and caught the other man with a slash to the arm holding the knife. Ansellis held onto his weapon even as blood poured down over his hand.  
“You can’t save her.” Ansellis panted, fangs out. “The Admiral will rape her, too, and then kill her. Even if he goes down, he’ll take your little she-dog with him.”  
Kyrnis’ only response was to cut the man’s shoulder and dance away out of reach. He was no longer seeing a fellow Kalquorian. All he saw was a worthless animal. Less than an animal. He heard the roar of fury rising inside him. If his Matara came to harm, no one would be safe from his wrath.   
Ansellis saw the height of his rage and hesitated for an instant. It was all Kyrnis needed. He rushed the First Mate and shoved his knife between his ribs, right up to the hilt. He twisted it, then yanked it back. Ansellis screamed. He staggered forward, but one step was all he could manage before he toppled to the floor.   
“I die for my people! I die for Kalquor!”  
“You die for your stupidity.” Kyrnis wiped his knife on the First Mate’s formsuit. “One strand of my Matara’s hair is worth more than your life, gurluck.”  
He stepped over Ansellis as the First Mate gurgled his last breath. He didn’t look back. He had to find Susannah.  
Tynevek and Diljek were just coming out of the next door. Kyrnis was ready to spring at the other Nobek, but his Imdiko raised his hands. “Sholt! Kyrnis, Diljek’s been protecting all of the Mataras, including Susannah.” He spoke in a smooth, even tone, soothing his irate clan mate. “The other Mataras have confirmed it.”  
Kyrnis bit out the words. “He has her scent on him.”  
Diljek looked ready to accept his fate at the hands of the maddened Nobek. Kyrnis still had annihilation in his eyes when, from overhead, they heard a blast and knew Granin’s crew had broken through the barrier. Running footsteps thundered down the stairs. Shouted orders echoed.  
“Diljek! Where are they headed?” Granin was leading the way.  
“The men have gone through the hole they made.” The younger Nobek pointed. “Bocc and Frent are with them.”  
“You stay here and make sure they get everyone on this level,” Granin barked. Diljek nodded and raced away to direct the incoming forces. Granin turned to Kyrnis and Tynevek. “Have you seen Brekin?”   
“He’s with Denar,” Kyrnis said. “They’re after the Admiral. Raka has our Matara.”  
Kyrnis gave a quick salute, looked at Tynevek and they were off, two blurs in the hall heading for the back stairs.

C13, S5  
Susannah’s head whipped sideways with the Admiral’s backhanded blow. She felt dazed and still very sick but she managed to summon up strength to face him again. His long face was red with anger and his mouth twisted as he ranted at her.   
“You miserable, puking bitch! You’re going to regret this for the rest of your pathetic life. Which will only be long enough for me to shoot my spunk into your very fertile little body. Too bad you won’t be around to swell up with my child, cunt. It would teach your arrogant clanmates a lesson to have you pregnant with some other man’s brat. Maybe I’ll just pull out and cum on your pasty Earther face.” He paused, raised a finger. “But might it not be better to use her as an example? Of how Earthers will make certain she dies if she’s carrying alien child?” He waved a hand, as if wiping his thoughts from the air. “No time to waste on this.”  
Raka had hauled her out of the auditorium and down the corridor beyond at lightning speed. She’d felt sick at the way her surroundings whizzed past.   
“Admiral, sir! This way!”  
She knew that voice. Ansellis, the gurluck.  
Raka had veered and ducked, passing through a dim doorway that hissed shut behind them. He hurtled along the narrow space, Susannah’s feet banging on the walls as he went. She was hanging on to him now, afraid that if he tripped, she would be sent headlong to the metal floor. He made a sharp right, then a left, and another door hissed. He passed through this, into an even darker hall, but it didn’t slow him down. She was being joggled with almost every step and her stomach proclaimed she had more to spew out onto the Admiral’s boots. Or chest, or whatever. This had to be some sort of secret passage, of course, designed to fool an enemy should they invade the ship. In this case, the ship’s crew were taking the role of the invaders, with the possible exception of the tall young guard in the auditorium.  
She wanted her clan but at the same time, she also longed to keep them out of danger. Were they still on Deryin? Were they among the men flooding the auditorium, yelling bloody revenge as her fellow Earther girls scattered out of their path? If she could keep Raka at bay, keep him talking, there might be time for those avenging forces to find her. To help them stop whatever horror Raka and his friends had in mind. But how?  
Raka had slammed a fist into the wall and another door swung inward. He’d barreled through, kicked it shut, and tossed her on the huge sleeping mat in the center of the room. He turned and slammed a great, old fashioned metal bar across both entries that she could see. He turned to her, his face a mask of icy fury.  
“You ruin everything, don’t you? And worthless Ansellis—he couldn’t even control one scrawny little Earther bitch! I should have shot him on my way in or shoved him out the nearest porthole! Now, I’m having to deal with you here!”  
Raka was stripping off his robe and pants, spittle flying as he raged. Susannah tried to huddle away from him, one arm covering her breasts. He paused to order hover restraints to hold her as he finished undressing. Unlike when her mates used the cuffs in sex play, these clamped down hard on her wrists, almost cutting off her circulation. Raka grabbed her and ripped off her pants and panties, leaving her naked, then commanded the restraints to seize her ankles.   
She was upright, spread-eagled before him, thrashing helplessly against the merciless grip of the manacles. He stalked forward, his older body still powerful and very much aroused. She had so underestimated his power. And his fury. And his duplicity. He continued to spill bile and filth. Where had the elegant commander gone, with his affable smile?  
“I wish I had time to beat you, cunt.” He took his cocks in his hands. “But this will have to do. Ordinarily I wouldn’t sink to fucking Earther shit like you. But your animal scent has driven me to this and now you have to—”  
“Wait, you don’t want to do that!”  
“I don’t care what you think I want, beast.”   
“My clan will come for me. They’re coming now.”  
He paused, a grin pulling back the taut, weathered skin on his face, changing it to a Halloween skull mask. “Your so-called clan are safely away on Deryin, where we sent them to keep them out of this operation.” He chuckled. “We even tried to keep you out of it, but you wouldn’t stay in your quarters like an obedient female. You had to go traipsing around my ship like you had a right to be here. Ansellis couldn’t manage you, nor the Earthers we hired to get your contaminated ass off my vessel. You had to cause trouble.”  
“I wasn’t trying to cause trouble. I needed to see the doctor.”  
“Do I give a shit?” He began to advance. She had to find a way to buy more time.   
“You won’t stop it, you know.”  
He was upon her, his hand on her throat. “Stop what, filth?”  
“Stop the intermingling of our races. It’s already far too late. And you know it. Even the Emperors chose an Earther.”  
He sneered. “No, all they wanted was an heir and they were too impatient and wait to find a fertile Kalquorian to bear their child. By the time they had returned from Plasius, the Earther had already manipulated them and got them to get her with child. Everyone knows she had help in destroying the lovely mind of Narpok, the Princes’ intended.”  
He was still talking but he was still fondling himself and her. For a guy who hated Earthers, he sure seemed excited about getting his hands all over one. Oh, joy.   
Keep him talking. Buy more time.  
“How did she manage that?”  
“What?”  
“Jessica. How did she manage to get the Crown Princes to get her pregnant? Shouldn’t Kalquorians, especially royals, be smarter than that? One little Earther against three brilliant Princes? And their advisors who traveled with them?”   
He snarled. “Their advisors were caught by the lure of your fertility and the scent of your cunts, too. They came home with an Earther abomination of the highest kind.”  
“Really? I—“  
“Enough!” He ordered the cuffs to tilt her backward, opening her vulnerable parts to his assault. “You’ve had too much Kalquorian hospitality, Earther beast. Time I showed you how little you mean to my people.”  
She struggled against the cuffs. Raka grabbed one of her thighs and bent to her. She twisted but to no avail. God, this was going to happen! How could she survive giving her precious eggs to anyone but her clanmates?  
She bit out as he came close enough to strike. He reared back, bellowing. He punched her in the face, then in the stomach. He was lowering his fangs to tear at her. She writhed. She couldn’t submit to him!  
There was a crash over their heads. Kyrnis dropped into the room through the lighting panel. He was snarling, his own fangs fully out, and he held the deadliest-looking knife Susannah had ever seen: curved, serrated and long. Raka grabbed her and ran behind her, using her as a shield.  
“You’ll have to go through her to get me.” He slammed the release button on the restraints.   
She flopped down, but Raka had her clutched full-length in front of him before her feet could touch the bed. Kyrnis just kept coming.   
The door blew open and Denar charged into the room. Susannah saw lots of blood on his formsuit—his?—but he didn’t hesitate. He tackled the Admiral and wrenched Susannah from his grasp. She staggered away, tripped off the bed and came up against Tynevek, who swung her behind him, shielding her with his body.   
Somehow, Raka broke free and snatched a knife. Denar flew at him, disarming him with his teeth, ripping the Admiral’s wrist open and causing the older man to scream as he broke the arm for good measure. Kyrnis had his fangs at Raka’s throat when Susannah shrieked.   
“No! Don’t kill him, Kyrnis! Sholt!”  
Kyrnis didn’t loosen his hold but he stilled.  
“He deserves to die,” Denar growled.   
“I know. But I don’t want his worthless blood on your hands. Or…teeth. I want him to face trial,” she said, panting. “First a criminal trial and then a court-martial. I’ve read up on what a Kalquorian court-martial is like.” She gave Raka a nasty smile. “I also know the kind of punishment that’s meted out to woman-killers on Kalquor. Oh, and don’t forget attempted rape of a clanned Matara. You can kiss those withered little cocks of yours goodbye, old man.”  
He hissed at her but she saw his face was pale. Kyrnis and Denar had him trussed and headed for the brig in moments. She turned to Tynevek, threw her arms around him, and began to bawl. Someone put a blanket over her bare shoulders. She went on sobbing.  
“Imdiko Tynevek?”   
She looked up through her tears and saw Brekin standing by. He’d come in with her Imdiko, she realized. She wiped her eyes and smiled. “Thank you,” she whispered, pulling the blanket around her. “I know you helped.”  
His kind eyes smiled back but he still looked worried. “If you don’t need me, Tynevek, I need to find my Nobek.”  
“I’m right here.”   
Susannah looked up in surprise as Diljek stepped into the room. Her eyes filled with tears again as the two men flew into each other’s arms. Brekin took the Nobek’s face in his hands and kissed him, long and tenderly.   
Another man, in Imdiko piping, came running to them and then all three of them were hugging and kissing and laughing in relief. Moments later, they were out the door, dragging the injured Diljek to the medical bay.   
“Aww,” she whispered, grinning up at Tynevek. “They’re a males-only clan, aren’t they?”  
He nodded. “I believe Diljek has been working for months to find out the Admiral’s plans. No one knew. He risked everything for the safety of the rescued Mataras.”  
“And for my safety, too. Brekin must have been out of his mind with worry.”  
“As was Unjur, their Imdiko. No one onboard—not even Granin—knew they were clanned until today. They’ve had to stay apart all this time.”  
“Oh, that’s so sad!” She looked up at her dear mate’s own tearful face. “But such a happy ending!”  
His only reply was to wrap his arms around her and hold her so tightly she almost suffocated. She didn’t care. She was safe. Her clan was safe. They had come for her and protected her, just as they promised. Her joy was boundless.


	14. Chapter 14

ALIEN RESCUE—Fan fiction novel inspired by Tracy St. John’s Kalquor series  
CHAPTER FOURTEEN

C14, S1  
Her three clanmates inundated her with love, kisses, and long, fierce embraces before they were interrupted by official business. Tynevek gave her some quick first aid, quickly addressed Kyrnis’ knife wound, then she insisted that he treat Denar’s two injuries, which the Dramok was trying to hide from his clan. While the doctor tended their clanmate, Kyrnis hustled her into some clothes, then the whole clan sat with her through the long hours immediately following the Admiral’s capture. The panel of officers, hastily gathered in place of the men who were arrested or killed in the fight, looked about to protest the clan’s presence but one glance at the three men surrounding Susannah and they closed their mouths. A moment later, the officers startled again as they caught her scent, but they manfully schooled their reactions and carried on with no trouble.   
The new officer in command, Captain Granin, and the interim chief of security, Dramok Brekin, along with Chief Medical Officer Doctor Greln, questioned her on everything she’d seen and heard. She made a point of mentioning Diljek’s staunch and clever defense of her and she was assured that at the very least a commendation for the daring Nobek was forthcoming. She told them everything that Ansellis had said before he gave her to Diljek.  
Denar swore under his breath. Eyes turned to him. “He killed Imdiko Neneer. I’m not surprised he was caught up in all of this but he paid for it. The hell of it is he tried to warn me.”  
Kyrnis glowered. “He what?”  
“He came to me, not long before we left base and said that we might want to wait to go home. He claimed there was more he and the team needed to do to prepare Susannah for Kalquor and that there’d be other ships right after ‘Dranisi.’”  
“He tried to keep you off the ship that was being targeted.”  
Denar raised his hands. “I just thought he was making some sort of wrong-headed play to blow apart my clan.” He shook his head. “Ansellis and Raka and their group destroyed him.”  
“He is one of several they ruined,” Brekin put in. “I have the preliminary lists of the injured and dead, and those we’ve arrested.”  
There were sobering reports of the men and Mataras lost, along with the identities of all the Kalquorians who participated in the attempted strike.   
“Commander Dramok Frent, Lieutenant Nobek Bocc, it is reported, had both worked with Chief Mate Dramok Ansellis to bring the stowaways on board. All three are dead. Four other Kalquorians and seven Earther men were among the dead. None of the Earther women, save those first two unfortunates, were harmed. Another group of men, Earthers and Kalquorians, were injured but are now under arrest.”  
“I still don’t understand all of this,” she said when their questioning was finally done. “If they were just going to take the other women back to Earth, why bother to kill two of them?”  
“We’re not sure yet,” said Granin. “We suspect it was meant as a deterrent, to send a message to Earthers that Kalquorians are bloodthirsty animals, ready to rape and kill Earther Mataras.”  
“And the Admiral thought he was going to get out of an investigation into why so many Mataras were kidnapped off his ship? Did he think he could just blame Earthers for it all?” She shook her head. “That’s crazy.”  
“Crazy might well be the explanation,” Denar put in. “We won’t know anything until we’ve interrogated him.”  
“What about the assimilated Mataras?” Tynevek asked. “Are they safe?  
“They are. They were with their clans when the attacks began. Security for all Mataras will be strictly enforced and expanded.” His eyes darkened for a moment. “Two Mataras were murdered on board this vessel. We won’t let anything happen to any of the others, assimilated or not.”  
“You’re going to be a legend around here, Matara Susanna. You managed to distract Raka’s crew. You bought us precious time, at your peril,” Granin said as they left the hearing room at long last. “Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” really?”  
“Topless Shakespeare,” she said with a rueful grin. “It was all I could think of at the time.”  
Brekin was pie-eyed. “And you threatened to urinate on the Earther guards?”  
She colored up. “Ah. Yeah, that would be me, too.”  
“And did you really vomit on the Admiral’s boots?” asked Greln.  
“Yep. Pretty much.”  
She heard her clan behind her, barely suppressing their undignified mirth at her expense. She couldn’t be mad at them, though. She was goofy in love with them, all over again.  
“Take me home, my loved ones,” she said, her eyes shining up at the faces of her rescuers.  
She was exhausted when they reached their quarters. Once inside, each of her clanmates had to put his hands all over her, checking to be sure she was truly whole and safe. Their anxious looks brought tears to her eyes once more. With the other two holding her as close as they could, Tynevek examined her thoroughly and treated her wounds more extensively. He hissed over each one in anger. When he was finished, he gave her a sedative.   
“Your body’s been working overtime,” he told her as he kissed her and tucked her into bed. “Rest. We have more work to do to finish this, but one of us will be here with you all the time. We’re not letting you out of our sight.”  
“Thank you, my beast,” she said, her eyes drifting shut.   
“You’re welcome, my brave beauty.”  
When she woke late the next afternoon, her clan was towering over her, frowning.   
“Uh-oh.”  
Denar paddled her ass for not consulting them about the ovulation meds and then taking them without the clan nearby. Tynevek spanked her for scaring him half to death. Kyrnis added his licks for deliberately flaunting her naked breasts in front of insane Earther males and aroused Kalquorians.   
When they were done, she wiped her tears and apologized, abjectly, to each of them. They smothered her with kisses in return, apologizing in their turn for having been tricked into leaving the ship and for not being there before she fell into the hands of the attackers.  
Kyrnis held onto her after the other two moved back. He had stripped open his formsuit and he lifted her up to set her on his erections.   
“Hold, Kyrnis,” Denar said firmly. “We agreed we would wait, remember? Susannah’s been through a lot.”  
Kyrnis growled and hugged her tighter. “I need her.”  
“I know,” Tynevek said gently. “It’s important for you, especially after she was in danger. But we agreed to wait. We don’t know what her body can take right now.”  
“Here.” Susannah pushed closer and rubbed her abdomen against Kyrnis’ heavy sexes. “I’m here, my love.” She lifted up and positioned his smaller sex at her sheath. She sank down on him with a welcoming sigh.  
He snarled and sank his teeth into the fleshy part of her shoulder, not piercing her skin but holding her firmly in place. One arm encircled her, binding her like iron. The other stroked her folds with unerring skill, urging her to her peak and tipping her over it. It wasn’t much more than a few moments later that he climaxed, growling and snarling, but never letting her loose.   
When they’d quieted, she moved off his lap to kneel before him. Tynevek moved to touch the wound at her shoulder but she waved him off. Kyrnis took a wipe from a nearby box, ready to clean her, but she waved him away, as well.   
Without thinking, she dipped her fingers into his seed, where it glistened on her belly. She took those fingers and drew them across her collarbone. She dipped them again, and circled around her breasts. She painted her arms, and then her thighs.   
She kept her head down the whole time, not meeting Kyrnis’ eyes. When she finished painting her body with his scent and his seed, she held her arms out from her sides, as if she were an offering to him. She met his astonished gaze for a moment. Then she lowered her eyes, meekly. “Yours, my Nobek.”  
Kyrnis made a strangled sound. He grabbed her up and held her, stroking her hair and rocking her back and forth. “My Matara,” he murmured, his voice almost cracking with emotion. “Mine.”  
When he set her back at last, she could see he was struggling with his emotions. She decided, once again, that balance was needed. She was learning what it could mean to be their clanmate.  
She crossed her arms. “I’m starving. What kind of clan lets their Matara go without food for almost two days?”  
She grinned as Denar and Kyrnis bolted for the kitchen. Tynevek moved to get his med bag. She shook her head.   
“No. I want his mark on me for a while. And his seed.”  
Tynevek smiled and shook his head. “How did you know he needed that?”  
She shrugged. “I didn’t. It just seemed like the right thing to do.”  
“It’s instinctive, especially for Nobeks. He needed to reclaim his mate. An edgy Nobek is a dangerous Nobek. He’ll be much more confident that you’re home safe with the clan if he can tell you’re carrying his scent.”   
“Maybe it was instinctive for me, too.” She eyed him narrowly. “What was all that about you guys agreeing?”  
Denar interrupted, coming in with a tray of food. “Here, my sweet. Time to eat.” They fed her tender morsels of her favorite foods and she dissolved into giggles when Kyrnis, nose wrinkled, brought her a fizzing glass full of room-temperature Dr. Pepper.   
“Anything for my Matara.” He backed away from the glass with a wary look.  
When she declared she was full, Denar said, “Come, sweetheart.”   
He started the shower while Kyrnis carried her into the bathroom. They stood her under the spray and set about pampering every square inch of her body, ignoring the ship’s rules of water conservation. Despite their own excited states, they simply massaged her scalp as they washed her hair, soaped her and rinsed her—probably more than was necessary but again, all three of them wanted a shot at touching her everywhere—then turned off the shower, dried her, and carried her to the bed where they massaged her thoroughly with mint-grass scented oil. Tynevek added a little extra help with a soothing cream for her still stinging buttocks.   
“You’re spoiling me rotten.” Her complaint was half-hearted.   
“If you think this is spoiling,” Kyrnis said, “wait until you see how we pamper an expectant Matara.”  
“Oh, boy.” She wasn’t sure if she was happy or scared. Any more pampering like this and she’d forget how to walk on her own two feet.   
When they were done, including having Denar, of all people, comb out her hair, she sat up and motioned for them to gather around her.   
“My wonderful clan.” Tears made their faces sparkle in her vision. “Thank you for rescuing me. And for taking care of me. And making me the luckiest woman in the galaxy.” She turned to Tynevek with a soft smile. “I know you have an ovo-kit stashed somewhere around here. Will you please get it now?”  
Tynevek was gone and back in a blur. He laid her back on the bed and administered the test. She sat back up as they waited for the results.   
Tynevek handed the instrument to Denar. “I can’t.” His voice caught. “My hands are shaking.”  
She watched as Denar pressed the button and stared at the instrument, brow furrowed. Then, slowly, his expression cleared and his grin began to spread.   
They reached for her, but Tynevek held them back. “Wait! My Matara, you have to know, with those meds, you may have released more than one egg. It is possible that you will—that you could—”  
She blinked. “Conceive more than one baby?”  
“Would that trouble you?” His look was anxious. “We can...limit embryos if you want.”  
“Limits? With my clan?” She chuckled. “I want every egg I have to get a chance to meet my amazing men. Their amazing fathers.”  
Sighs of relief and looks of wonder greeted her. Kyrnis’ eyes were wide. “You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met."  
She chuckled. “Well, brave or not, none of you has proven you can get me pregnant with even one egg, yet.” She turned to Tynevek. “My darling beast, will you do me the honor of being the first to try?”  
Tynevek looked terrified for a moment, then he dove on her. She giggled and thrashed beneath his onslaught of kisses and caresses.   
“Come, love.” She patted his chest. “I need you inside me. It’s been too long.”  
Carefully, he stroked between her legs with his long fingers. He smiled down at her. “So wet and welcoming, sweet one.”  
He lifted up over her and slowly, perfectly, sank his sex deep into her waiting sheath. She moaned and turned her head to kiss his arm as he braced himself over her. He pumped her gently a few times, then lowered his head to kiss her, deeply.   
When he lifted, his face was blissful. “Come, my clanmates. I can’t do this without you.”  
Susannah hummed as bliss spread out in warm waves, sweeping throughout her body. Tynevek drew himself free of her sex and reversed their positions, taking Susannah astride him. Behind her, Denar lifted her bottom with both hands and with firm, delicious precision, pressed himself into her backside, filling her to complete fullness. Kyrnis appeared by her head and she welcomed his cock into her mouth.   
They moved on her in perfect unison, filling her as one, withdrawing as one, filling her again. She was soon lost in the soul-deep wonder of their loving. She came, crying out her joy. Before long, Denar and Kyrnis pulled away.  
Then, there was just her and her Imdiko once more. He got up onto his haunches and pulled her into his arms so she was wrapped close to his heart. He seated her carefully onto his steel-hard sexes. She wrapped her legs around his hips and drew him tighter. He looked into her eyes with love so deep it took her breath away. He heaved a great sigh, like a man finally reaching home after years of wandering. Then, he simply released himself into her, pushing her down so that he was thrust up as far as he could get. His climax went on and on, the longest she’d ever felt. He murmured her name the whole time, his face pressed tightly to her neck. When he finished, he held her for a long while, gently stroking her back. Susannah’s heart almost burst with love for him. Then, he loosened his hold and looked at her with knowing satisfaction. “There.”  
He passed her to Kyrnis, who took her from behind, loving her with vigor and with sweet words whispered in her ears. “You are my guiding star. My love is yours forever, my Matara.”   
He drove her wildly, up and up, then joined her in shuddering, quaking climax. When they could move, he toppled with her to the bed. He cupped her body with his, stroking her hair and feathering kisses over her neck and shoulders. He eased away at last, and gave her a grin. “There.”  
Denar surprised her by taking her up on top of him, a position her most dominating lover seldom permitted her. Susannah grinned down at him.  
“Does this mean I’m in charge, my Dramok?”  
“Can you get yourself pregnant, my Matara?”  
She laughed and kissed him. Their lovemaking was lush and slow, with long caresses and perfect rhythms. His eyes were watchful as ever, but tonight they seemed to be on the alert to insure that she was so well-loved she could hardly move after they climaxed together. She lay across his chest and he simply held her, his cheek pressed to the top of her head. Like the others, he seemed to be waiting for something. Then, he nodded and kissed her tenderly. He nodded. “There.”  
She pushed herself up and off of him. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but Kyrnis quickly took her by the shoulders and eased her to her back. Denar lifted her hips and Tynevek placed a pillow under her bottom, tilting her up. Gently, the Imdiko pushed her knees up and planted her feet flat on the bed.   
“Is this necessary?” They had filled her so full, she couldn’t imagine their seed failing. She liked the idea of all their essences swirling around inside her, mixing together.   
“Not necessary, no.” Denar flashed his devilish grin. “But Kalquorian males don’t take chances when it comes to impregnating our Mataras.”  
“Look on it as insurance.” Kyrnis patted her knee.   
Her lovers began to snuggle up around her, as if to sleep.  
“Hold it. Hold it!”   
“What, my Matara?” Tynevek’s eyes were wide with innocence.  
She sat up and glared at them all, suspicious. “What was that all about?”  
Kyrnis blinked. “What was what?”  
“Each of you said ‘there’ and then you had these smug looks on your faces. What aren’t you telling me?”  
Three big smiles. Smug smiles. She felt a shock run up her spine.  
“No, you didn’t! You couldn’t! It’s too soon and you can’t tell from just…” Her words dribbled away. She gulped.   
Kyrnis grinned. “My Dramok would never fail at a challenge. My Imdiko is one in a million. And I,” his big chest puffed out, “am an expert marksman.”  
“We told you that you had much to learn about Kalquorian men.” Tynevek kissed her warmly.   
“But—it’s impossible.”   
“Oh?” Denar gave her his trademark, melt-her-to-butter smile. “What are the statistics, little scholar, of the likelihood that three men from the planet Kalquor would come to Earth and find you, their perfect mate, hiding in an underground storehouse, nibbling on toast, and preserving a world’s worth of treasures while reading romance novels?”  
She gulped again. Tynevek’s face was full of love. “Do you want me to test you now?”  
“No.” She felt shaky. “I-I like surprises, remember? I can wait until…morning.”  
“All right. Good night, our darling Matara.”   
They snuggled in around her, warming and comforting and protecting her. Every now and then, one of their big hands reached to caress her belly. She shook her head. Tomorrow morning would bring no surprises. She knew without a doubt what the result would be. Tonight her mates had made her a real Matara, a child bearer. Life bringer. The babies conceived this night would be yet another part of the amazing, joyful, new life that had begun on the day three aliens came to rescue her.

Epilogue   
“Well, our Curator, the day has arrived.” Denar put his arm around Susannah’s waist and hugged her to his side. “Are you ready?”  
She shivered and smoothed down the beautiful new gown her clan had insisted she buy for the occasion. She smiled as her hands slid over the firm little mound of her belly. She was just beginning to show and she was so proud she actually stuck her tummy out further in front of her.   
Denar chuckled. “You’d think this was your first pregnancy.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re such a Matara.”  
She grinned. “I am. Nothing makes me prouder.”  
“Not even this?” He waved a hand at the brightly-lit building that was coming into view.   
“Oh, my stars.” She brought her hands to her cheeks in wonder. She still hadn’t fully recovered from the shock of learning that her clan had petitioned the government, working tirelessly to have the whole of her Collection—minus some things that might imperil the safety and health upon being introduced into the Kalquorian environment—brought to Kalquor. The plan was well underway by the time they arrived.  
The new Center for Earth Heritage was a gorgeous place, carved into the mountainside overlooking the broad meadows and small forests on the far western edge of the capital. Kalquor had greeted Clan Denar’s proposal for the Project with unalloyed enthusiasm and had acted quickly to send ships to Earth to empty the storehouse and safely bring its contents to their world. The committee to establish the Collection on Kalquor had outdone themselves and the museum-education center was beyond Susannah’s wildest dreams. Not only had the Kalquorians been eager to give such a gift to their new Mataras and their children, but most seemed genuinely interested in learning about Earth. After years of pinching pennies until they screamed for the Collection, Susannah could hardly believe the budget she was given on Kalquor. And the space! Her thoughts flew often to the people she’d loved and worked with, her papa, in particular. She’d kept her vow to them. She was preserving the treasures they’d labored so long and hard to protect.  
And all because her three amazing loves had planned, even before they left the storehouse, to have the Collection packed up and transported to Kalquor. For her sake. They hadn’t told her earlier, Denar explained, because they didn’t want her to see it as either a threat or a bribe to get her to leave the storehouse, or to come to Kalquor. The initial idea was Kyrnis’, she learned, but as soon as they returned to base, all three began petitioning universities and museums and intercultural groups on Kalquor, asking to have the collection brought from Earth to establish a safe place for the legacy that Susannah and so many others had vowed to protect and keep against such great odds. They had the particular support of Empress Jessica, herself an Earther, and the rest of the Imperial Clan, so many barriers came quickly down and the leaders helped smooth the way for the Heritage Center to become a reality. When her clan had finally told her that the effort was ready to begin, halfway through their journey home to Kalquor, she had been stunned, flooded with emotions. She was sure her heart couldn’t be any more crowded with love and joy. She couldn’t stop thanking them.  
Everything was in place, now, and she was already reaching out, trying contact to the other Collections storehouses on Earth. Tonight was the gala opening and she, as Head Curator, was playing host to hundreds of important people from all over Kalquor and even some from the Earther colonies.   
But none of it compared to the love of her clan and the joy she felt in bearing their children. It was miraculous to her every time she thought about how her solitary existence had been transformed into life as a loving, active family of seven! It was beyond her dreams.  
Her heart soared as she gazed up at her mates. “Not even this. Though this is a dream come true.”  
“We’re proud of all your accomplishments, Matara.” Denar gave her a swift kiss.  
“Ready to spout some Shakespeare?” Kyrnis wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind.   
“Topless?”  
He growled. “Not on your life. Your body belongs solely to us, remember?”  
“I remember.” She gave her backside a little rub.  
“Brat. We haven’t spanked you once since we found out you were pregnant again,” Denar said.   
Her smile was all mischief. “No, but I remember all the same.”   
“My beauty, our daughters want to wish you well.” Tynevek handed her his com link.   
“Hi, sweeties.” Her heart surged even further at the sight of their children. As the first triplets ever born on Kalquor, their toddlers were celebrities and sometimes in danger of being spoiled, not only by others, but by their adoring papas, as well. The three men couldn’t seem to do enough for their offspring. Or their mama.  
Imdiko Flencik, the eminent doctor who’d attended the unprecedented birth, was clanned with the Earther artist Amelia Ryan. She’d given birth to the first ever Earther/Kalquorian twins. Flencik had laughed heartily and slapped the new fathers on their backs. “You one-upped my clan, but frankly, when I think of the lack of sleep and the expenses you’re facing, I think we’re glad to pass on the title!”  
“Mama!” Two golden heads and one dark one bobbed in the viewing field. Chubby hands waved. Two sets of purple eyes crinkled in smiles, along with one pair of turquoise blue ones. They could be poster children for the diversity—and the hope—of the new generation.  
“You be good for Dramok Brekin and his clan tonight.” She shook a finger at the toddlers. “Don’t let me hear you pestered them for ice cream again.”  
“We won’t, Mama! Mama, Jane and ‘Liz’beth are still pinching me!”  
“Jane, Elizabeth, leave your sister alone. Onilya, don’t be a tattletale.”  
“That’s right, my darling girl.” Kyrnis leaned over Susannah’s shoulder. “Don’t get mad, get even.”  
Onilya giggled. “‘Kay, Papa!”   
“Nice,” Susannah said dryly. “Encourage the little heathens.”  
Kyrnis winked and she rolled her eyes.   
“All right, my little threebies. I love you. It’s almost time for you to be in bed so skedaddle to the showers, all of you. Wait! Before you go, throw kisses to your papas.”  
“Nigh’-nigh’, Papas,” came the chorus.   
Denar, Kyrnis, and Tynevek threw kisses back and the image winked out. The men looked at each other and grinned, sheepishly.  
“Brekin and his clan don’t know what they’re getting into with their surrogate Matara. We’re completely at the mercy of our offspring.” Denar shook his head. “They own us. They always will.”  
“Oh, yes.” Kyrnis nodded sagely. “I knew we were lost the moment Tynevek showed us that first positive pregnancy test.”  
“I knew it the first time we made love to our darling Susannah.” The Imdiko squeezed Susannah’s hand.   
Denar snorted. “I knew it the first time she tried to blast our asses off in the storehouse entryway.”  
Susannah shook her head. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”   
He swooped down and captured her mouth for a deliciously enthralling kiss. “No. Not when I can get such a nice rise out of you. Makes you spicy.” He licked his lips.   
“This one will be a boy. I’m sure of it.” She patted her belly. “Be careful what you teach him about treating a Matara with respect.”  
He growled in mock severity. “Better that you teach our children how to respect their Dramok.”   
“All right.” Tynevek wrapped Susannah’s hand over his arm. “Your proud escorts are ready to behave, sweetness. Remember, if you get into trouble just give us the sign and we’ll come rescue you. Pregnant Matara means no stress.”   
“I know.”   
She smiled up at her handsome mates. They looked so fine in their formal suits. How had she ever gotten so lucky?  
A man approached, wearing the colors of the Imperial household. He bowed to them all, then turned to her.  
“Head Curator Matara Susannah? The Emperor Clajak, Empress Jessica, and the Imperial clan are waiting to greet you. They’re eager to begin the opening ceremonies.”  
Susannah gulped.   
Denar squeezed her hand.   
Tynevek gave her his most encouraging smile.   
Kyrnis pinched her butt.  
She sailed into the party, smiling widely and ready to face the world, surrounded by her loving clan.  
THE END


End file.
